In a candid and emotional appearance on Good Morning Britain this Friday, Kerry Katona opened up about the profound impact her past mistakes have had on her family. The former Atomic Kitten singer, now 45, joined presenters Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh to discuss her upcoming theatre role in Abba Mia, but the conversation quickly turned deeply personal.
Children Forced to Bear the Weight of Her Past
The discussion began when Ranvir Singh referenced Kerry's 18-year-old daughter Heidi's recent appearance on the show, where she commented on the Beckham family drama. Singh noted Heidi's poise in front of cameras, a skill honed from a lifetime in the public eye due to her mother's fame.
When asked how she helps her children stay grounded despite this exposure, Kerry offered a heartbreakingly honest response. "With all my children, when we leave the house I tell them that I am the only embarrassment in this family," she confessed. "I've made the mistakes so that they don't have to."
A Mother's Burden of Regret
Kerry, who has been transparent about her struggles with drug addiction and mental health over the years, elaborated on this painful reality. "Unfortunately, my mistakes have become my children's burden, because of who I am," she explained. "So they will get a lot of stuff said to them because of what I've done. So I always want them to be a better version of me."
She described her five children as the "five best parts of my entire soul" and expressed her deepest wish for them to surpass her. "I want them to be a better version, be their own person," Kerry stated with evident emotion.
Radical Honesty as a Parenting Strategy
The singer emphasized that complete openness has been her cornerstone approach with her kids. "I have been so open and honest with my children. I am the only consistency that they have ever had in their lives," she asserted.
This policy of transparency comes with its own challenges, as Kerry humorously admitted. "They tell me everything and anything and sometimes I want to cut my ears off, scream into a pillow and then bleach my eyeballs," she quipped. "But that is being a mum. They are my everything!"
Meet Kerry's Five Children
Kerry is a proud mother to five children from different relationships:
- Molly, 24, and Lilly-Sue, 22: Daughters from her marriage to ex-husband Brian McFadden.
- Heidi, 18, and Maxwell, 17: Children from her relationship with ex-partner Mark Croft.
- Dylan-Jorge, 11: Her youngest son from her previous relationship with George Kay.
Finding Love After Heartbreak
The interview then shifted to Kerry's romantic life, prompting an emotional response as she spoke about her current partner, Paolo Margaglione. The couple met on the reality dating show Celebs Go Dating and have now been together for a year.
Ranvir recalled Kerry's initial resistance on the show, where she tended to be a people-pleaser and put herself down preemptively. However, love ultimately prevailed.
"Madly. Madly. We've been together a year now, me and Paolo," Kerry gushed. "He is the most beautiful soul I have ever come across in my entire life. Another one, the love of my life, here we go again..."
Her voice filled with emotion as she continued: "But for me, I don't feel like I've ever truly been loved or received love from another human being the way he loves me, and the way I love him. I get quite emotional about it. He is a real, true, beautiful soul. I feel so blessed that I have met him."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.
