Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona has opened up about the delicate balancing act she performs to maintain her long-standing friendship with Peter Andre, without provoking the anger of her best friend, his ex-wife Katie Price.
Walking a Friendship Tightrope
The 45-year-old celebrity, who has been friends with both parties for over two decades since they appeared together on I'm A Celebrity..., admitted she has to tread very carefully. This is due to the bitter and very public feud between Katie and Peter, which has intensified in recent years, primarily concerning their two children, Princess, 18, and Junior, 20.
In her latest column for New! Magazine, Kerry revealed a significant new development. She met Peter's wife, Emily Andre, for the first time at the recent Beauty Awards. The introduction was prompted by the fact that Kerry's own 18-year-old daughter, Heidi, had stayed at Peter and Emily's house because she is good friends with their daughter, Princess.
New Introductions and Old Loyalties
"I saw Emily at the Beauty Awards too," Kerry wrote. "My daughter Heidi stayed at Pete and Emily's last week so from one mum to another I went and introduced myself. I've never met Emily before but we sat down and chatted away - what a lovely girl she is."
Despite this cordial new connection, Kerry was keen to stress her unwavering loyalty to Katie Price. She emphasised her transparent approach, stating, "I'm a very fair person and Katie knows this. I was texting Pete the other week and let Katie know. I haven't got beef with these people but Katie's always going to be my girl and I'm always going to have her back."
The Ongoing Parental Dispute
This delicate social navigation comes against a backdrop of continued tension between the exes. Just last month, Katie made a pointed dig at Peter during an episode of her podcast, which she hosts with her sister Sophie, 35. While not naming him directly, she complained about "parenting rights" and feeling powerless.
"When you've got a child, right... If you had someone dictating what your kids do and they won't give you a say, it's like taking your mother's instinct. Your mother's right," Katie said. She added emotionally, "It does hurt my feelings because I am their mother and I will always be their mother, regardless."
The core of the recent conflict has been Katie's exclusion from their daughter Princess's ITV reality series, The Princess Diaries. Katie has previously claimed that Peter and his management team considered her "trash" and deliberately disrespected her by keeping her off the show.
Stepping Back for Peace
In a significant move to reduce the surrounding drama, Peter Andre and Emily have now pulled out from the second season of the show. Insiders told the Daily Mail that Princess made the decision after discussions with her father, who agreed to step back alongside Emily, 36, to quieten the "noise" about Katie's absence.
Princess's brother, Junior, will however remain by her side for the new series. Cameras are expected to follow the young influencer abroad as she explores business ventures and at home for a "big beauty gig" in Liverpool. The hope is that with Peter and Emily off-camera, the series can focus squarely on Princess's own journey.
Kerry Katona's revelations highlight the complex and lasting fallout of high-profile separations, where mutual friends must often chart a careful course to preserve relationships on all sides, especially when the wellbeing of children remains a central and shared concern.
