Kerry Katona has shared a candid health update after being rushed to hospital by ambulance amid fears she was suffering a stroke. The 45-year-old former Atomic Kitten star was in London watching her daughter Molly perform in a play when she began feeling unwell and noticed she could not smile properly.
Accompanied by her daughter Heidi and partner Paolo Margaglione, Kerry discreetly left the theatre and returned to her hotel, where she requested a doctor. When none was available for four hours, she took a taxi to St Thomas' Hospital. There, medics treated the episode as a suspected stroke and blue-lit her to King's College Hospital for further tests.
Kerry said: 'An hour ago I was watching our Molly in a play and now I'm being treated for a stroke. What the actual f**k? It just shows how quickly things can change.' She texted all five of her children — Molly, 24, Lilly, 23, Heidi, 19, Max, 18, and Dylan-Jorge, 12 — telling them she loved them, fearing she might not speak to them again.
Scans later ruled out a stroke, revealing instead that a part of her brain is 'broken' and unable to send signals to her face due to stress. Kerry said: 'I've spoken to Anna Williamson from Celebs Go Dating about it since, and apparently it can also happen when you're feeling content. It's like delayed stress hitting you suddenly because you feel at peace.'
Kerry, who has been revisiting old home videos to track the deterioration of her speech, plans to seek speech therapy. She also recalled her late husband George Kay, who was hospitalised with similar symptoms in 2015 and later diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. George died from a drug overdose in 2019.
Despite feeling 'genuinely like s**t', Kerry flew to Spain for her son Dylan-Jorge's 12th birthday, acknowledging she has not had follow-up checks but will arrange them upon her return.
