Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona has shared a devastating revelation about her first marriage to Westlife's Brian McFadden, confessing she truly believed he was her 'forever' before his betrayal on the eve of their wedding.
The Fairytale Romance That Wasn't
In a candid interview with The Times, the 45-year-old singer and media personality reflected on a life marked by turbulent relationships and a persistent search for stability. Katona explained that she had long sought a father figure in her partners, stating, "Of course I did. I have had five serious relationships in 30 years."
She was just 18 when she met McFadden, with both at the peak of their pop fame. Their lavish 2002 wedding, featured in OK! magazine, seemed to cement a storybook romance. "I thought he was my 'for ever'. We were puppies, babies, back then," she recalled. "I wanted him to be my knight in shining armour and rescue me from my old life."
The Stag Night That Changed Everything
That hopeful illusion was brutally shattered when McFadden was unfaithful, sleeping with a stripper during his stag night celebrations. The couple ultimately split in 2004 after Brian allegedly confessed in a tense phone call that he no longer loved her.
The betrayal triggered a dramatic personal decline for Katona, who was already struggling under intense public scrutiny as one of Britain's most famous pop stars. "It was so bad. I was very famous at the time, so I had to be shipped to Arizona for therapy," she revealed.
She described how she had become emotionally detached, recounting traumatic experiences as if reading a script. "I used to tell my life story like it was just a script. I thought it was normal. They had to peel back the layers. It took me a long time to learn to cry," Katona admitted.
Motherhood Amidst the Turmoil
Despite the pain, Katona and McFadden share two daughters, Molly and Lilly-Sue, with Katona embracing motherhood at a young age. This role became a constant anchor through subsequent difficult relationships.
Her second marriage to taxi driver Mark Croft, which she has called "chaotic and damaging," resulted in two more children, Heidi and Max. During this period, Croft sold stories about her to tabloids and Katona was declared bankrupt. "I was reliving my childhood. It was a toxic, dark time," she said.
Her third marriage, to former rugby league player George Kay, ended tragically. Kay was arrested for allegedly assaulting her and later died from an overdose in 2019. Even from this relationship, Katona focuses on the positive, stating, "It all sounds so bad. But I have another gorgeous daughter, DJ."
