The sister of the late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately has told The Ray D'Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 that she thinks he would be "very proud" of the acclaimed documentary series about the boyband, celebrating his life and work.
Boyzone: Fame, fallout and forever bonds
Michelle Gately is among the interviewees alongside Boyzone's Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, and Shane Lynch in Boyzone: No Matter What, which premiered on Sky Documentaries and NOW on Sunday 2 February.
She joined The Ray D'Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 on Tuesday to remember her late brother, who died as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition in October 2009. He was 33.
"I also have the same heart condition that Stephen had," she told the show, "because it's hereditary. My dad, we think, had it as well. My father died very young as well."
"I'm just on medication for it," Michelle Gately continued. "Stephen, obviously, didn't know he had it. There's a specific test you have to get done. I only got it done, like, obviously, after Stephen died, and they confirmed that I had it. You don't just go and get this test done; it won't be picked up - and his wasn't picked up."
Michelle Gately said she thinks about her brother "every day".
"Stephen's 15 years gone and there's still pictures of him everywhere. We talk about him all the time. I've three children - they're always speaking about him. His music's on.
"Sometimes people say, 'Do you not get upset? Do you not feel sad?' And I say, 'No' because even in the documentary, they made him feel very much alive. You could hear his voice talking when you were watching it."
When D'Arcy said that Stephen Gately is "the star of the three episodes" and comes across "really, really well", Michelle Gately replied: "When I was asked to do it, you know, I wanted... somebody had to represent Stephen.
"I'm a quiet person... and I wanted to do it. I wanted to do it for him. Stephen's not here anymore. The four lads, I knew they were all going to be in this. 'What are we going to do?' So when they asked me, of course, [I said] 'I have to get the courage to do this for him'."
"What would he think of it?" asked the host.
"He'd be very proud, like," Michelle Gately replied. "Very proud of the lads. He'd be very proud that I could do it, you know what I mean? [It] just keeps his memory alive."
The interview concluded with Michelle Gately's favourite Boyzone song with her brother on vocals - Every Day I Love You.
The Ray D'Arcy Show, weekdays, RTÉ Radio 1, 3pm
