Kerry Katona has revealed the heart-wrenching truth that her dreams of finding salvation through marriage to Westlife member Brian McFadden were shattered by his infidelity even before they exchanged vows.
The former member of the popular girl group Atomic Kitten, who rose to fame in the early 2000s, reflected on a life marked by tumultuous relationships and an ongoing quest for stability.
In an interview with The Times, the 45-year-old confessed that she had always sought a paternal figure in her partners, stating, “I have been in five serious relationships over 30 years.”
Katona was only 18 when she met McFadden, a time when both were young, renowned, and at the pinnacle of their careers. Their extravagant wedding in 2002, covered by OK! magazine, seemed to solidify their fairy-tale love story.
“I believed he was my ‘forever.’ We were young and naive back then,” she reminisced. “I wanted him to be my savior and rescue me from my past life.”
However, that illusion was shattered when McFadden was unfaithful with a stripper during his stag party. Their relationship ended in 2004 when Brian confessed over a tense phone call that he no longer loved Kerry.
This betrayal marked a downward spiral for Katona, who was already grappling with the pressures of fame. At the time, she was a prominent figure in British pop culture, juggling success with Atomic Kitten and increasing media attention.
“It was a dark period. I was a well-known figure, so I had to seek therapy in Arizona,” she shared. Katona described narrating her traumatic experiences as if reading from a script. “I used to recount my life like it was just a story. I thought it was normal. It took me a while to learn how to express my emotions.”
Despite the pain caused by her first marriage, Katona went on to have children with McFadden, Molly and Lilly-Sue, becoming a mother at a young age amidst intense public scrutiny. Motherhood remained a constant in her turbulent personal life.
Subsequently, she married taxi driver Mark Croft, a tumultuous relationship she characterized as chaotic and harmful. “It was meant to be a one-night stand, but I’m grateful for our two wonderful children, Heidi and Max,” she remarked. During this time, Croft sold stories about her to the press, leading to Katona’s bankruptcy. “I was reliving my past. It was a toxic, challenging phase.”
Her third marriage, to ex-rugby league player George Kay, ended tragically. Kay was arrested for assaulting her and later died from an overdose in 2019. Nonetheless, Katona highlighted the love she found in the relationship. “It may sound grim, but I have another beautiful daughter, DJ.”