RONAN Keating walked away in tears after saying goodbye to his Magic Radio colleagues and listeners today.
His team planned a heartfelt surprise to honour his seven years behind the mic at the iconic station.
As the show wrapped up, the Boyzone legend was ushered into the studio under the pretence of recording one final segment.
Instead, Ronan – who announced he was quitting last month – was greeted by dozens of staff who had gathered quietly in the room next door.
As Ronan entered, the room erupted into a loud applause and he joked they’d gathered to, “make sure I leave!”
Tears welled up in his eyes and Ronan hugged his co-host Harriet Scott before walking down the stairs, where he told the camera: “That was tough.
“I didn’t expect that to feel like that. How do I get out of here…”
Ronan revealed his “very difficult decision” to quit his hit radio show after seven years in June.
The Irish popstar told how he’d had an “incredible” response from his breakfast show listeners, yet was eager to get back to “really important” moments of family time which he’d “missed”.
The Boyzone star gave a candid monologue as the show wrapped and said: “It’s been very difficult for me to come to this conclusion, and to make this decision.
“I wanted our listeners, our Magic Breakfast listeners and our Magic Radio listeners be the first to know that after seven years and so many incredible shows, I’ve decided to stand down from Magic Breakfast at the end of July.
“I have loved every single minute, this has not been an easy decision at all.
“I came on board as you know [Harriet] for a year, maybe two and I’ve loved the job so much that I’ve stayed here for seven.”
Making reference to the coronavirus pandemic the Life Is A Rollercoaster hitmaker continued: “We’ve had an amazing time and we’ve been through some incredibly emotional times with people at home.
“Those two years that the world changed – it was an honour to be able to be in people’s homes and communicate with them like we did.”
Ronan, who is married to wife Storm Keating, is a dad-of-five.
He revealed the toll of the early morning alarms – and how he was excited about tapping back into the regular routine of family life.
The chart star added: “Although I won’t be waking the nation up anymore with you [Harriet], I look forward to, I guess reconnecting with what I did before this – you know getting back to my music and touring.
“Even though I’ve been doing it, trying to do both together has not been easy at times.
“Getting back to being with my family – you know doing school runs and those things that I’ve missed out on. Waking up with my wife in the morning, you know?
“I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s really important and I’ve missed that.”
