Music manager Louis Walsh has said comments he made about Ronan Keating on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year "wasn't meant out of badness".
The former X Factor judge, who reignited his longstanding feud with the singer while on the reality show, said he didn't mean to insult Keating, adding producers wanted him to "say things I shouldn't say".
In a new episode of Nicky Byrne's podcast, Nicky Byrne HQ, 72-year-old Walsh admits he was "there for a reason".
Byrne says: "You very recently called him a pri*k… and he's not a pri*k."
Walsh then replied: "No, I just said it. It wasn’t meant out of badness."
During the episode, Byrne asked Walsh if he still had a soft spot "in your heart for Ronan Keating?"
"As an artist, he's good, very ambitious, and there’s nothing he won’t do, radio, TV, or acting," Walsh said.
"He will do it, and I love that about him, but he should just be him; he should just sing a certain type of song," he added.
When Bryne said he believed Walsh was still hurt by Keating and vice versa, Walsh denied that theory, saying: "No, over it, honestly, life’s too short; I moved on a long time ago."
Walsh went on to say that he would answer his phone if he rang him, saying: "I’ve nothing against him, but he’d have to call me."
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