Posh’s new marriage fears
In an emotional chat on social media, Kerry Katona reveals she took medication to cope with the death of ex-husband George Kay
The shocking death of her 39-year-old estranged ex-husband, George Kay, from a cocaine overdose in July was the latest in a long list of personal turmoils for Kerry Katona.
The mum of five – who suffers from bipolar disorder – has a history of drug abuse, after being introduced to cocaine by her mum aged 14. She was declared bankrupt in 2008 and has three failed marriages under her belt – but while Kerry, 39, says she will never “fully be over her mental health struggles”, she is coping by having regular counselling sessions and going to church.
TRAUMATIC MEMORIES
In an emotional and honest chat on her Instagram Live, the former Atomic Kitten singer said, “Overthinking is the worst thing I do – it makes me my own worst enemy sometimes. I had a cry yesterday and a really big cry the day before, but I don’t know why, because I think, ‘Look how better you are now than you were five years ago, or 10 years ago…’ but I can’t help it.”
Kerry also revealed she went back on antidepressants after the death of George, with whom she shared daughter
DJ, five. She added his passing had brought back traumatic memories from their volatile sixyear relationship, during which she accused the ex-rugby player – who had a history of mental health issues – of assaulting Kerry, although the charges were later dropped.
“When George passed, I did go back on antidepressants again, because sometimes I wasn’t coping very well,” she said. “I had been off them for a long while. I’m back off them again now, but sometimes life gets too much. I didn’t deal with a lot of the emotional, mental and physical abuse I went through with my husband, so when he passed, it brought it all back again and it built up inside me.”
Kerry was previously married to Westlife’s Brian McFadden – with whom she shares Molly, 18, and Lilly-Sue, 16 – and cab driver Mark Croft, dad to Heidi, 12, and Max, 11. Brian confessed to cheating on Kerry on his stag do with a lap dancer, while Mark admitted to blowing £1.4 million of her fortune on drugs and fast cars, leading to her bankruptcy.
She is now in a happy relationship with personal trainer Ryan Mahoney, 31, but admits she still has difficult times. She said, “I’m at home most days, washing and cleaning, and I can get down and lonely because sometimes when
I’m alone, me and my thoughts don’t go together very well and it can be a struggle.”
SUFFERING IN SILENCE
She added, “I love counselling, I love having therapy. So many of us suffer in silence because we are embarrassed and ashamed. And when people say, ‘get over it’, it doesn’t work like that.”
The star’s emotional chat was part of a fundraising event for mental health campaign Don’t Suffer In Silence. She has also turned to religion, posting a picture of a copy of Devotional Bible: The Message, saying, “One of my church family sent me this today. Thank you so much – I’m already finding it a lot easier.”