Boyzone star Mikey Graham’s daughter has insisted that ‘no one knows what it took’ for him to perform in the band’s reunion shows, after he was cruelly trolled for his appearance.
Band members Ronan Keating, 49, Keith Duffy, 51, and Shane Lynch, 49, opened the Two For The Road concerts as a threesome last week, leaving spectators scratching their heads over the absence of 53-year-old Mikey.
When he eventually appeared, Mikey was raised from the stage floor and stayed seated during the three songs he appeared on before standing up for the encore of Ronan’s 2000 solo track Life Is A Rollercoaster.
Social media was flooded with questions over his involvement and looks – leading to a wave of supporters who recalled his vow to never return to the band amid depression, alcoholism and weight battles in 2025 doc Boyzone: No Matter What.
Mikey’s daughter Sienna has now spoken about his appearance for the first time, insisting it was a challenge for her father to even join the band on stage.
She said: ‘No one will ever know the extent that it took my dad to get to this point and get onto this stage and perform to many people in that way, so as his daughter, as I can say is that I am incredibly proud of him and that is the bottom line.’
Boyzone star Mikey Graham’s daughter has insisted that ‘no one knows what it took’ for him to perform in the band’s reunion shows, after he was cruelly trolled for his appearance
Mikey made a brief appearance during Boyzone’s reunion concerts last week, and remained seated throughout his performance, leaving fans scratching their heads
Speaking to Evoke, she added: ‘I think with the (Sky) documentary and everything – I said this before – I think coming into the shows, everyone has come in with so much awareness of what everyone has been through over the years and I almost feel like that because of that awareness, it also enhances the pride that we all feel.
This kind of shows that you can go through struggles and come out the other end and that there is so much joy to be had within this world and starting fresh.’
Sienna added that she is ‘incredibly proud’ of her dad’s achievements, and even ‘welled up’ when she saw him perform alongside his bandmates.
She had been involved in the production of the concerts, as she directed, produced and edited the visuals which were displayed across the giant screens throughout the shows at London’s Emirates Stadium.
After users began to question Mikey’s appearance, many Boyzone fans took to X to defend him.
They said: ‘I’m not a fan of Boyzone—there are a few songs I like, but that’s not the point here. What really bothers me is the awful comments being made about Mikey Graham…
‘If you’ve been lucky enough not to struggle in life, then good for you, but having money or success doesn’t make someone immune to personal battles…
‘It’s clear that Mikey has faced his own difficulties, and mocking someone when they’re already down is about as low as it gets;’
‘I genuinely hate bullying. None of us know whether he’s reading those comments, but people who tear others down for their own amusement should think twice. Words have consequences….
Mikey’s daughter Sienna has now spoken about his appearance for the first time, insisting it was a challenge for her father to even join the band on stage
‘For someone who is already struggling, that kind of cruelty can do real harm—sometimes even life-threatening harm. If that’s something you’re contributing to, it’s worth asking yourself what you’re actually proud of.
Echoing the sentiment, fellow social media users replied: ‘I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan either, but all I’ve seen is lots of love, support and also concern for him on here, nothing negative at all. Maybe it’s the algorithm on my timeline!…
‘But I’ve only seen lovely things… I’ve seen many defending him mainly fans but still the amount of nasty comments still no need… Too many trolls leaving pointless comments, but also people saying he’s got this, or I heard he has that…
‘He is incredibly private, and said very little recently bar admitting to weight gain, comfort eating and a weightloss journey. But people still comment, do they really know?’
After he suggested he would not return to the stage in the Boyzone: No Matter What documentary, fans praised the star for making it to the stage, writing: ‘Lovely to see him back on stage, especially after he said he wouldn’t in the documentary…
‘Wishing him all the best. He absolutely nailed it… Mikey was always my favourite back in the day, was sad listening to his story in the documentary. Fame isn’t everything. Lovely to see him back up there…
‘Sending so much love to Mikey. Despite facing health challenges, u gave ur all at the Boyzone show, and it didn’t go unnoticed. Your strength, dedication & the effort you made, we’re so proud of you. Wishing you better days ahead. We all love you’.
Mikey broke fans’ hearts during the documentary, when he revealed he had no plans to join in the reunion due to his personal battles.
He said: ‘I wish them all the best, no grudges, no animosity, nothing. However, I don’t want to go back to how I felt for many years…
‘To see them, if it were for too long, would remind me of that. My future is far too important for me to waste it looking back at my past but I wish everybody well….
‘It was a hard struggle for me through the years. My confidence that I had beforehand about music fell through the floor. It was a bit heartbreaking…
‘I’ll be honest with you, when you see an audience full of posters for Stephen and Ronan and Shane and Keith… and then you might see the odd one with Mikey.’
‘Remember, I was 21. As a kid that was tough, and Louis [Walsh] went from one day speaking with me to never speaking with me for seven years and I never knew why, I had absolutely no idea why. I just thought he didn’t like me.’
He detailed how he derailed due to ‘the sadness, the disenchantment’, saying: ‘I was very frustrated, angry, depressed and because of all of that I would withdraw from the band’.
