Barry Keoghan: Rumours I cheated were made up

Barry Keoghan speaking at the Fastnet Film Festival in the Schull Harbour Hotel, West Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

Peaky Blinders star Barry Keoghan has said rumours he cheated on an unnamed previous partner were “made up”.

The 33-year-old has condemned “absolutely disgusting and vile” online videos which circulated following speculation he had cheated, calling the situation “very unfair” on himself and his former partner.

Speaking to Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky and Kristin Batalucco on their Friends Keep Secrets video podcast, Keoghan discussed how the situation made him feel compelled to “disappear” from the public eye, taking a break from events and social media.

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Keoghan said: “I have been avoiding stuff. I have been like… You know, I came off Instagram, and social profiles.

“I stopped going to events. I’ve stopped just socialising.

“It’s because there was a narrative out there that was never really even spoken on, a narrative that’s not true, and I never confirmed or said anything about it. I just disappeared.” 

When asked by host Lil Dicky, real name David Burd, about the narrative he was referring to, Keoghan responded: “It’s that I cheated, yeah.” 

The actor continued: “I don’t want to ever bring anyone else into it but unfortunately, having a relationship in the public eye, it’s – we all know this from our own stories, but it gets put out there.

“If you see the narrative, you see the story. A girl made a video and then a girl actually made the same video and went, ‘sorry for making that up’.

“But no-one seemed to latch on to that video. Seeing the reaction of this girl, I didn’t want to come forward and put that girl under and go, ‘hold on for a second’.” 

Keoghan explained he did not speak out about the rumours as he did not know how his former partner, who he did not name, “deals with it”, adding: “I don’t wanna bring anyone else into it.” 

The star continued: “I’m not asking for people to become my fan and like me, because that’s not normal either, but I’m asking for people to stop assuming and also stop jumping on this narrative and attacking me and dragging me down in any way you can.

“Involving my parents who are no longer with me and my parents, fine, whatever, but just absolutely disgusting, vile – like, there’s videos on Tiktok, literally going ‘I hate him’.

“Because for someone who’s went through a lot – and I’m not saying this for a pity card or pity me – but why is it cool to hop on and beat somebody who’s come from a lot?” 

Keoghan has been outspoken about his childhood, which saw him and his brother sent to different foster homes as their mother struggled, and later died, from drug addiction.

He said: “Stuff I’ve seen as a kid, and stuff I’ve seen – my mum laying on the ground after injecting herself, and shit that I have to fight every day and do a lot of therapy.

“I went through addiction myself and (am) in sobriety and battle all of that. To then want to drag that person…” 

The Dublin-born actor briefly dated US pop star Sabrina Carpenter, making a cameo appearance in her Please Please Please music video, before the pair reportedly split in 2024.

Keoghan is best known for his roles in hit films such as Saltburn (2023) and The Banshees Of Inisherin (2022), and recently starred in the latest instalment in the Peaky Blinders franchise – The Immortal Man (2026).