Former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona has made a powerful statement about her past struggles with addiction, declaring she will not undergo surgery to repair the significant damage cocaine abuse has caused to her nose.
A Living Reminder of Past Mistakes
Katona, 44, explained that the visible damage, including a hole in her septum, serves as a crucial daily reminder to stay clean for the sake of her five children. She has been open with them about her past, even showing them the injury as a stark warning of the consequences of drug use.
The star revealed that despite surgeons using a piece of her rib last year to rebuild and stabilise her nose's structure, the hole may never fully heal. She told The Sun that the potential for her nose to collapse is a deterrent she actively chooses to keep. "I even have a hole in my nose that I refuse to get fixed, and I’ve shown it to my children," she said. "For me it was a reminder that if I put another line of coke up my nose, it could collapse."
A Lifelong Battle with Addiction
Katona's struggles with substances began tragically early. She was first introduced to drugs at the age of just 14 by her mother, Sue, who gave her speed and told her it was sherbet. This occurred during a period when Kerry was in care but would sneak out to see her mum in Warrington.
Her path to recovery was complicated by the people around her. She described how, every time she tried to get clean, her old "tribe" would try to "pull you back," often resenting her progress. A significant setback came three years after her divorce from Westlife's Brian McFadden, when she married cabbie Mark Croft, who she has said was her mother's drug dealer. This relationship reignited her drug use, despite her having left rehab only six weeks prior.
Finding Love and Stability
Now, having turned her life around, Katona has found happiness with a new partner. She met personal trainer Paolo Margaglione, 33, on the TV show Celebs Go Dating. The couple are reportedly very much in love and going from strength to strength.
Kerry has been married three times and engaged twice, but says she is now extremely content. She noted that while she usually keeps new relationships private, this one played out on screen. Her focus remains on maintaining her sobriety and being a present mother, with her damaged nose standing as a permanent, physical testament to her hard-won recovery.
