Kerry: “My bad habits were destroying me”
She was seen S basking in the sunshine in Marbella last week, confidently showcasing her trim figure in a thong, after shedding half a stone in just six days at a holistic boot camp. And pals say that despite once being renowned for her rollercoaster lifestyle and a series of stormy romances, Kerry Katona is feeling happier than ever after transforming her body through a healthy new lifestyle and embracing her single status following her split from third husband George Kay last June.
A source says, “Kerry feels incredible. She’s exercising daily, doing yoga and going for runs. She’s eating lots of healthy chicken, fish and green vegetables and making sure she drinks plenty of water.”
As Closer previously reported, before she flew out to the bootcamp, Kerry had concerned friends with a series of boozy nights out, but she’s insisted she’s allowed a treat every now and again and wouldn’t do anything to undo her hard work.
The source adds, “After her split from George, she knew she had to break her bad habit of jumping into a new romance straight away. She felt it was destroying her, so she decided to focus on herself and her kids. She’s not fazed that she’s still single. She knows she doesn’t need a man to be happy.”
In the wake of her split from George, Kerry formed a close bond with Real Housewives of Cheshire star Ampika Pickston, 36, and sources says she’s the secret weapon in Kerry’s confidence boost. The source says, “Ampika was key in Kerry’s new stance. She counselled her through the break-up and helped her realise that she’s better off without a man.”
Last week, Kerry – who has Molly, 16, and Lilly-sue, 15, with first husband Brian Mcfadden; Heidi, ten, and Max, nine, with second husband Mark Croft; and Dylan-jorge, three, with George – bared her scars while sunbathing, after lifting and boosting her boobs to a GG cup, and then reducing them to a DD in 2008. And despite her confidence, insiders say Kerry – who also had 3st of fat removed by lipo in 2017 – is now considering a breast lift after confessing earlier this year that she was unhappy with her “saggy boobs”.
BOOB JOB
The source adds, “Kerry is feeling really body confident, but her boobs do bother her. She feels they’ve lost their volume and are saggy. She’s considering another boob job and has told pals she doesn’t mind about additional scarring, saying it’s
the price she’ll need to pay.”
Relationship expert Ben Edwards thinks that in contrast to Jordan’s approach, Kerry is dealing with her inner issues and taking a constructive approach to her break-up. He says, “Kerry seems to have taken time since the breakdown of her marriage to confront her issues and be honest with herself. She has realised what is truly important in the long-term – her health, her happiness and her children – and focused on these, rather than looking for short-term highs.
“Kerry has seen that she has a pattern in her failed relationships, and has realised that her past actions have resulted in what has happened. She’s realised she needs to make a change and has done that – and that takes a level of maturity and self-confidence to do.
“Kerry may have hit rock bottom in the past, but she has an inner confidence that Katie seems to lack. She has been clean from drugs for nine years and knows that she can conquer her demons in that sense, so that has probably helped her with getting herself back on track after her recent divorce. She has approached the break-up in a constructive manner, rather than a destructive one, like Katie.”
Kerry was left heartbroken when her first marriage to Brian ended in 2004, and the pair endured a series of public spats in the years following their split. After her break-up from cab driver Mark, she insisted the relationship was a “rebound” and accused him of being her drug dealer throughout their marriage. And following her split from George, she claimed he’d been violent towards her – which he denied.
But pals say Kerry is over the public slanging matches and is now focused on a positive future. Insiders insisted she was unfazed when ex George went public with new beauty queen girlfriend Nicola Moriarty last month, and claims she wasn’t bothered when he joked with fans on Instagram last week that he missed her [Kerry] like a “hole in the head”.
The source says, “Kerry has spoken about her exes a lot in public, but she no longer feels the need to get into slanging matches. She feels stronger than ever and has told pals that her exes can say what they want and it will just wash over her. She doesn’t care what George does now. She’s told pals that, as far as she’s concerned, he’s someone else’s problem. She’s been single for almost a year and has embraced her independence. She feels better than ever after a self-imposed man ban and, for now, she’s content with it just being her and the kids.”
Sources revealed to Closer last month that Kerry was ready to start seeing new people and has been spotted on dating app Bumble. But after a history of volatile romances, Kerry has told pals her next relationship will be totally different. The source says, “Kerry wanted time to focus and heal after all her heartaches. She knew the only way to change her pattern of bad relationships was to be alone, so she’s put herself on a man ban for a year. Kerry has flirted with using dating apps, but she’s nervous about risking her newfound happiness by getting a boyfriend.”
In February, Kerry revealed, “‘I do need to be on my own and I’m really happy on my own. Being single is definitely the way forward. I’m definitely in a relationship with myself and learning to love me… I’ve never done that before.”
SELF-WORTH
The source says, “Kerry is excited by the idea of meeting someone new, but time on her own has taught her confidence and what she’s really worth. She feels that if she’d jumped into a new relationship after her split from George, she wouldn’t have learned as much about herself.”
And insiders say Kerry has been trying to persuade close pal Jordan, 40, to follow suit, after she quickly moved on with new man Kris Boyson just days after her third marriage to Kieran Hayler collapsed. The source adds, “Kerry told Katie to stay single after her Kieran split, but she wouldn’t listen. She’s tried to be a sympathetic ear, but she worries Katie isn’t necessarily doing what’s best for her or her kids. She sees a lot of her former self in Katie and doesn’t want her to repeat the same mistakes.”
❛SHE’S NOT FAZED BY BEING SINGLE – SHE WON’T SETTLE FOR A MAN WHO ISN’T RIGHT❜