Kerry Katona has opened up about her brief encounter with disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris, recalling a distinctly uncomfortable experience on the set of the children's television show SMTV: Live. Writing in her New magazine column, Katona described Harris as a 'very grumpy old man.'
Katona's Recollection of Working with Harris
Katona's comments come in the wake of the release of the two-part documentary Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator on Prime Video last month. 'I haven't seen the Rolf Harris documentary but I did see Coleen Nolan claiming that he'd repeatedly insist on 'kissing her on the lips' when she was 10,' Katona wrote. 'I worked with him once on SMTV. All I remember was a very grumpy old man.'
Despite her own unsettling experience, Katona expressed confidence in her children's ability to navigate the entertainment industry. 'I don't worry about my kids if they were to go into showbiz though - they're so emotionally mature. They know more about boundaries than I ever did at their age!' she added.
Coleen Nolan's Previous Testimony
Katona's remarks reference earlier statements made by Coleen Nolan on Loose Women, as reported by the Mirror. Nolan described her childhood encounters with Harris when she was just 10 years old. 'I thought 'oh I don't like it if he goes to kiss me' because he always tried to kiss you on the lips. And with a ten-year-old that's just weird,' Nolan said. 'I straightaway thought that was weird so I'd be like [swerve away] so I just wouldn't kiss him, it was always slightly mouth open.'
Nolan also shared the reaction of her famous sisters from The Nolans: 'When it all came out into the public domain and everything was talked about and discussed, their instinct was 'oh I'm not surprised.'' 'Whereas I was like: 'What? Rolf Harris? Because to me he was, when I was 10, obviously, he was fun, he played the instruments and loved animals. So I never picked up on that apart from the kissing side of things,' she added.
The Documentary: Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator
The renewed attention on Harris stems from the documentary Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator, which explores the disgraced Australian entertainer's life and crimes in unprecedented detail. According to Prime Video, the series features testimony from survivors who have never spoken publicly before, alongside archive footage charting his rise to fame and eventual downfall.
A synopsis for the documentary reads: 'Featuring survivors who have never spoken publicly before, the series brings together the full story of one of entertainment's most disturbing double lives, charting Harris's rise from suburban Perth to the heights of British fame while revealing the pattern of abuse that unfolded behind the scenes for decades.'
'More than a fallen celebrity story, it examines how charisma, institutional loyalty and cultural reverence allowed a predator to flourish and honours the resilience of those who refused to let his crimes be forgotten,' the synopsis continues.
