Boyzone singer, Keith Duffy, has announced he is stepping down as patron of Irish Autism Action (IAA) after a decade in the role.

Mr Duffy, whose daughter Mia has autism, has said that he wants to spend more time focusing on family and work commitments.

The father of two has helped to raise over €8 million for the charity, however according to IAA chairman, Marc De Salvo, he has also raised much needed awareness about the condition in this country.

"Keith has worked tirelessly for the last decade to raise both awareness and much needed funding to allow the charity advocate on behalf of so many children and adults with autism. It has been a pleasure to work with Keith and I personally want to wish him every deserved success in the future for both his family and career," Mr De Salvo said.

He added that Mr Duffy's willingness to talk about his own experiences of autism ‘has touched families across the country'.

In a tweet, Mr Duffy said that is was with a ‘heavy heart' that he resigned from the position, but that he will ‘always be passionate in helping children and their families with ASD (autism spectrum disorder)'.

Just last November, the singer and actor was awarded an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland's Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in recognition of his work as a campaigner for those with autism.

Mr Duffy has agreed to stay on for the launch of the charity's National Pyjama Day next month.

According to IAA, autism is ‘is a lifelong neuro-developmental disability that affects the development of the brain in areas of social interaction and communication'.

Those affected have difficulties in communicating and forming relationships with people, in developing language and in using abstract concepts. The condition can also impact on a person's ability to make sense of the world around them.

Symptoms and characteristics can be different from one person to another.

For more information on autism and IAA, click here