By Harry Finnegan

Copyright thesun

RTE Keys To My Life viewers shared their thoughts as former broadcaster Ronan Collins opened up about his shock diagnoses.

Brendan Courtney returned on air this month to host season five of the hit show.

The fan favourite series sees the presenter take celebrities down memory lane as they revisit locations and homes from their childhood and down through their lives.

In tonight’s episode, Brendan was joined by popular broadcaster and musician Ronan Collins.

During the episode, Ronan revisited his early childhood in Drumcondra where he was raised by his mother and father.

With the help of Brendan, Ronan revisited the early stages of his career with his first home in Phibsborough – where he first launched his career being a drummer for Dickie Rock.

After five years of that gig, Ronan got news that RTE were launching a pop radio station.

The broadcaster soon landed himself an audition and nabbed the coveted presenting spot – and at a time that defined the success of his career, started a shift in his work/ life balance.

He said: “I just worked morning, noon, and night.”

“There were times I left this house at 5.30 in the morning and didn’t get back until 5.30 the following morning.

“One particular night, I had driven home and I remember being very tired. I pulled up right outside the house, and I fell asleep – and was woken up about two hours later by the milkman.

“He says, ‘Do you not have to go into RTÉ today?’ It started to wear a little on the family, I think.”

Eventually he swapped his Radio 2 slot for a cushier time on Radio One where it initially seemed like things slowed down for the star.

But ultimately, it only got worse for him as he moved his family into a mega mansion in Porterstown.

The home that sits on one acre of land in North County Dublin, became a chain for the star as interest rates hiked.

He explained: “I probably was living the illusion that a bigger house meant a happier family, but it doesn’t necessarily do that.

“I thought I’d learned my lesson in the 1980s about working all the time. But then in the 1990s, I had to keep working very hard, because I had a big mortgage, and the repayments got bigger, so it got difficult.”

He fronted Play the Game with Twink and Derek Davis, hosted the Saturday night National Lottery draw, and “said yes to everything”.

His dependency on work to fund his overbearing mortgage then took its toll on his health as the star received a shocking diagnosis.

‘RADIO LEGEND’

He explained: “You were always on the edge. You were only as good as your last programme.

“I was drinking gallons of a certain fizzy drink, five litres a day.

“That led on to my 50th birthday, and in the one week, one of my best musical friends – Michael Carwood, from the band, The Others, a band I’d been in during the 1970s – dropped dead suddenly.

“That was a terrible shock to me, and later that same week I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.”

Following his shocking diabetes diagnosis and after a spinal-cord cyst left him temporarily unable to walk – Ronan decided after 53 years it was time to step back from his work and retire.

Following the heartwarming episode, RTE viewers raced to social media to share their thoughts on tonight’s programme.

Sinead gushed: “Memories, he was always the Lotto man.”

Helen gushed: “Radio legend.”

Another viewer gushed: “Love this programme and that you allow the guests talk.”