Louis Walsh will make a return to The X Factor this Saturday to support his remaining two acts despite his grief over the death of his friend and colleague Stephen Gately.
A spokeswoman for The X Factor said Walsh is continuing to mentor his remaining acts, girl group Miss Frank and twins John and Edward and has been in contact with the contestants by phone this week.
However, it was also added that plans for his return may change when funeral arrangements are made.
Girl group Kandy Rain were the first group to leave the show on Sunday but gave high praise to Louis for the support and encouragement he provided throughout their X Factor experience.
They also revealed that Louis took the time to call them after they were booted out on Sunday despite pulling out of the show earlier that day.
Walsh, who put Boyzone together in the mid-1990s, met up with Stephen and his fellow band mates just last week to discuss the final 10 tracks of their comeback album.
“Of all the people I've worked with I don't think anybody thanked me as much as Stephen. He used to always say to me 'if I wasn't in Boyzone I don't know where I'd be today, thank you'."
He was, he said: "A great, great, great professional kid."
Walsh and the remaining members of Boyzone have been in close contact over the last few days. They are expected to gather together for the funeral in Ireland in several days.
