Yvonne visits dream home — without wedding ring

RONAN Keating’s estranged wife, Yvonne, appeared in public yesterday for the first time since the couple announced the end of their 12-year marriage.

The 36-year-old former model was spotted at the construction site of a new dream home the couple had planned to build for themselves and their three children, Jack, 11, Marie, 9, and Ali, 4.

Tellingly she was not wearing her wedding ring and kept her eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses as she looked over the site, which is a stone’s throw from their €3 million mansion at Malahide, Dublin.

Ronan Keating, 33, is believed to be staying with friends after the couple confirmed their marriage was over.

The split came amid reports that Ronan was having an affair.

According to reports, Yvonne was heartbroken at finding out about the affair and “made her mind up on the spot”.

One source said: “The cracks were there already, but this was the final straw.

“She isn’t the sort of person to forgive and forget. Ronan has accepted her decision.”

There were also reports that the timing of the split was forced as a newspaper was preparing to publish the story of the alleged affair.

Boyzone fans were shocked earlier this week when the couple made a statement which appeared on the singer’s website.

The statement said the couple’s separation was amicable and they would continue to work together in order to provide the best for their children.

They also asked for “privacy at this difficult time”.

The news came as a surprise to Keating’s former manager and X Factor judge Louis Walsh who said he was completely shocked and hoped they could sort things out and get back together again.

The singer first became friendly with Yvonne when they were teenagers, although they didn’t actually become romantically involved until a few years later.

They got married in April 1998, after a short romance.

Keating is to be a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor.