From Atomic Kitten to reality TV princess, we look at Kerry Katona's life in pictures
We can’t believe how long ago this was! In 1999 when Kerry Katona was just 18, she rose to fame in girlband Atomic Kitten with Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton. Kerry left the group in 2001 when she became pregnant with boyfriend and Westlife member Brian McFadden’s baby.
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Mum of the year!
In 2001 Kerry won the bluefoot.com Mum of The Year Award, posing for a picture with her baby daughter, Molly. Well, isn’t she just beaming with pride!
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Kerry and Brian: The McFadden era
Back in 2002 Kerry and Brian got married and she changed her name to Kerry McFadden. Her TV career started soon after, with appearances on Loose Women and Britain’s Sexiest… She also took part in the Celebrity Soccer Six football match with husband Brian for charity.
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Another baby on the way!
Kerry hasn’t just eaten too many chips in this pic! She was pregnant with daughter Lily-Sue while presenting the 2002 Fish and Chip Shop of the Year Award. Lily-Sue was born in February 2003.
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Queen of the jungle!
Ahh! We remember this like it was yesterday! In 2004 Kerry appeared on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here with fellow contestant Katie Price. While Katie focused on her blossoming romance with Peter Andre (how things have changed!) Kerry went on to win the show and was crowned Queen of the Jungle.
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Kerry and Brian split
We were so sad in 2004 when Kerry and Brian split up. The popstar pair parted ways just a few months after this picture was taken and their divorce was finalised in 2006. Sob, sob!
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New man Mark Croft
In 2006 Kerry met taxi driver Mark Croft and the pair started dating. They married in 2007 and their daughter Heidi was born shortly after the wedding.
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Pregnant with baby no. 4
In 2007 Mark and Kerry announced they were expecting another baby, who she later called Maxwell, named after Max Clifford.
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Kerry is declared bankrupt
In August 2008 Kerry was declared bankrupt after failing to pay the final £82,000 of a £417,000 tax bill. It was a tough time for Kerry, as she lost her Iceland advertising contract, magazine column and MTV shows. But it was just the start of her money troubles!
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The This Morning interview
In 2008 Kerry appeared on ITV1’s This Morning to counter rumours of drink and drug problems, but appeared drunk with slurred speech. During the interview Kerry claimed that the slurring was just the side affects of medication. After her split from Mark, she admitted to taking drugs with him when they were together.
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Split from Mark Croft
March 2009 saw Kerry announcing her split from Mark Croft through a statement. But a few days later the pair got back together. They split again in 2010 after Mark accused Kerry of cheating with a fitness instructor.
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Mark speaks out
After their break-up, Mark spoke out about his relationship with Kerryand admitted he had sold stories about her private life and whereabouts when they were still together. What a scumbag!
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The Divorce diet
Determined to get back in shape after her relationship with Mark Croft ended, Kerry spent two weeks in a boot camp and was soon able to fit into her size 10 jeans again.
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ITV2’s The Next Chapter
Her ITV2 show Kerry Katona: The Next Chapter hit our screens at the end of 2010 where she came clean about her old life, taking drugs, being a better mum and her weight loss. And boy was it good to have her back on telly!
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Dancing on Ice
At the start of 2012 Kerry took up a new challenge by competing in Dancing on Ice. She was joined by other celebrities including Nadia Sawalha, Elen Rivas and Jeff Brazier.
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New man George Kay
Kerry and George Kay first got together in 2012 and then in April 2013 the ex-rugby player popped the question at the top of the Blackpool tower. Ahh, maybe Kerry will get her happy ending after all!
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The Big Reunion: Atomic Kitten
Oh it’s like our teenage dreams came true all at once! In 2013 Kerry got back with pals Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon to reform Atomic Kitten for ITV hit show The Big Reunion. And suddenly, everything just felt whole again…
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Kerry Katona Cash Lady advert
Oh Kerry… ! In 2013 she was declared bankrupt for the SECOND time in five years. She was also dropped as the face of a controversial ad campaign for a payday lender.
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New baby girl – Dylan-Jorge Rose
In April 2014 Kerry gave birth to her fifth child, Dylan-Jorge Rose. She appeared on This Morning in May 2014 with fiancé George Kay to talk about the traumatic birth!
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Debt hell for Kerry copycats
While Kerry might be back on track, experts have warned about the danger of young women copying the lifestyles of celebrities without taking into consideration the financial impact that spending has on their lives.
Sadly, twice-bankrupt Kerry has become somewhat of a poster for this message.
Women aged 18 to 24 are most likely to live way beyond their means, with government figures showing that nearly eight out of 10,000 young women became insolvent last year, compared with just four men in 10,000.
Insolvency expert Louise Brittan, a trustee in Katona’s first bankruptcy case, said: ‘There’s now an enormous emphasis on the way people look and it’s also a case of people wanting to emulate celebrities.
But the impact on people like Kerry Katona from having financial problems just isn’t as publicised as the rest of their lifestyles.’
Ladies, let that be a warning to you!
Where to next?
Bankrupt celebs – oh the money troubles!
Money news
How to get out of debt