First gay couple in boyband video

Boyzone's Better video

Boyzone have become the first boyband to feature a gay couple in their video.

Singer Stephen Gately teams up with a male actor for the touchy feely scenes in their latest single Better.

The other Boyzone members are paired with girls but Stephen, who came out in 1999 and is in a civil partnership, wanted things to be different.

He told Newsbeat: "For me, it's just me being me and I don't think there should be a real big issue about the whole thing anyway."

Stephen Gately added: "I just think it's just a beautiful video and I think it works superbly for the song.

"I'm hoping this video will have a good, positive, all-round reaction."

Boyzone announced they were reforming for a UK tour last November and are playing more dates around Europe next May and June.

The group released Back Again... No Matter What - The Greatest Hits last month with their first new single in nine years, Love You Anyway, making it to number five in the chart.

Group decision

Boyzone originally planned to have their own partners in the video for Better but none of them would appear in it.

Boyzone have sold nearly 20 million records during their career

They then talked about getting celebrities involved but finally decided to employ actors.

Stephen Gately says the decision to include a gay couple in the black and white video was one made jointly by the whole band.

He said: "I came out in 1999 and it was a big issue at the time and I don't think I could have done this video without having a guy in the video.

"I think it's important for me to be true to myself.

"The lads were saying, 'You've got to do this'. They were pushing saying, 'This would be fantastic'. It's the first of its kind. That's why I went for it."

Better isn't the first music video to feature a homosexual couple.

1990's Being Boring by the Pet Shop Boys featured two men kissing at a house party.

Boyzone were put together in 1993 by X Factor judge Louis Walsh.

The band released four albums between then and 1999 before splitting up a year later.