Ronan Keating's ex-wife discovered his affair with backing dancer in one clever act

Ronan Keating and his then-wife Yvonne Connolly were preparing for a fresh start in 2010 in their dream £3.5m mansion near Dublin after 12 years of marriage, and raising their three children together.

While she packed for the move, Yvonne, 46, reportedly discovered something troubling after already feeling a change in her relationship with Ronan.

Her worst fears were confirmed when she reportedly found unfamiliar calls on Ronan's phone bills. Driven by suspicion, she called the mystery number and uncovered from the answering machine that it belonged to Francine Cornell, then a 26-year-old Boyzone backing dancer.

It was alleged that Francine had been secretly having an affair with Ronan for seven months.

Francine told The Sun: "She knew something was going on and she got hold of his phone records and called my number. From my voicemail she got my name - that's how she found out. Ronan tried to deny it all at first. He said I was a dancer from the tour and we were just good friends."

Despite Ronan's denial, Yvonne reportedly remained unconvinced and decided to confront Francine directly, inviting her to a London hotel.

"I just needed answers. I just needed the truth, and I needed to make sure stories collaborated," Yvonne said on Brendan O'Connor's Cutting Edge. "It was very hard to figure out who you can trust. So this was the answer to it. I was going to meet this girl, a quick 20-minute conversation, and we'd be done and dusted.

"And in fairness to her, she came and met me. But the 20-minute conversation turned into a couple of bottles of wine. After a few hours I realised she needed it as much as I did and I know it sounds very dramatic, but she was as much a victim as I was. I think we both got something from it."

"When I look back, this is what it all boils down to: it was basically two girls in love with the same boy who over a five-hour conversation realised that that boy was not who we thought he was."

Despite the upheaval, the Keatings did eventually settle into their new home and spent the next year working on their marriage. In a heartfelt note in his 2010 solo album Duet, Ronan took the opportunity to express his remorse to his wife, whom he wed in 1998 at the age of 21.

"You are the most incredible, inspirational woman I have ever met," he wrote. "For the mistakes I have made in my life, I am sorry. Guess you have to go there to come back. It was a dark place and you were the light to bring me back. I love you."

Despite their efforts, the couple announced their separation in April 2012. Yvonne found love again with cinematographer John Conroy, while Ronan fell for TV producer Storm Uechtritz, who he met during his time on The X Factor Australia.

Ronan and Storm married in 2015 in a picturesque Scottish wedding. They have since welcomed son Cooper, seven, and daughter Coco, four.

Reflecting on his past indiscretions from his first marriage, the Irish crooner expressed remorse in 2016, as reported by the Daily Telegraph: "Nobody should have an affair. If you're man enough to have the balls to go home and say, 'Sorry, this isn't working anymore,' that's the ideal situation, isn't it?

"But we're weak. We don't do that. So yes, I hurt people and I am sorry for that hurt, but the outcome is I found Storm and I'm very grateful. But I'm saying sorry."