Irish pop star Keith Duffy from Boyzone says he doesn't want to tour without former band mate Stephen Gately.

“The other lads want to, but right now I couldn’t do it without Stephen," he says.

Duffy, who is also an actor on Britain's long-rinning soap Coronation Street, says he has lost his confidence after Gately’s tragic death last October. 

Duffy revealed that he has been suffering from anxiety attacks and says he is still gripped by “sudden waves of emotion” which leave him breathless and dizzy, but he is now learning to overcome them. 

“I have waves of emotion that can hit me at any time,” said Duffy. “In the first few weeks they were terrifying. I couldn't breathe, I’d go light-headed and it was incredibly frightening. They still come, but I can handle them better now.” 

Describing his and the group’s loss Keith said: “It was a massive loss and there are times when I still can’t believe it happened. Stephen was the glue between us in Boyzone and when he passed, a lot of my confidence went too. But apart from how sad I feel, I feel sorry for Stephen. He was so young and had his whole life ahead of him.” 

Keith admits that filming for Coronation Street has helped him take his mind off things: “It’s really helped. I’m busy filming and learning my lines, which gives me something else to focus on." 

Talking about Boyzone’s new single, Gave It All Away, out in March featuring Stephen on vocals, Keith explained how the song almost never got released. He said: “It’s annihilating but beautiful. On our original recording, Ronan sang lead vocals on the first verse, which begins, “I want to learn to live before I die. After Stephen died, we found the original sessions, so it is Stephen singing that line.