Kerry Katona
The mum-of-five says she’s determined to get back on the property ladder after a series of financial setbacks
She’s only just moved her brood into a new rented house, but Kerry Katona has vowed to save up enough cash to buy her forever home within the next year.
Speaking on Instagram Live, the former Atomic Kitten singer gave her word she’d set down proper roots once again after years of renting.
When asked by a fan why she doesn’t own her own home, our columnist Kerry replied determinedly, “I will do next year.”
She explained, “I got my houses taken off me when I went into bankruptcy 13 years ago and so I’ve not been able to afford to buy one ever since. So I’ve been renting for the last 12 years, because… do you know how much money you actually need for a deposit to buy a house? A lot!”
Kerry, 39, who lives with hunky personal trainer boyfriend Ryan, 32, and youngest kids Lilly, 17, Heidi, 13, Max, 12, and six-yearold DJ, first hit financial trouble in 2008 after failing to pay the final £86,000 on a £417,000 tax bill. Five years later, Kerry once again found her debts spiralling and filed for bankruptcy for a second time.
The mum-of-five, whose late husband George Kay sadly passed away a year ago, recently downsized from her six-bedroom Tunbridge Wells home – where she was paying a whopping £3k per month in rent – to a more affordable four-bedroom property nearby.
“It’d been playing on my mind,” Kerry, who was once worth millions, explained. “I wanted to move on, I wanted a fresh start. There were a lot of memories there – that was mine and George’s house and Patrick [the family dog] died there.
“With Molly moving out, I wanted to downsize – I didn’t need all those bedrooms and wanted to pay less rent and get a smaller house, so we moved to a two-storey fourbedroom house with a lot less rent. That’s what we did because I want to save up my money to get my own house – that’s all I want, to own my own house again.”
As well as making regular daytime TV appearances, Kez is currently earning a living by working with brands including Skinnyjab and JYY London, as well as posing for saucy snaps on lucrative subscription site Onlyfans.
“I really just want a house again – that’s all I want to do,” she concluded. “I will get there. It’s just patience. Step by step. At the end of the day I’ve got a roof over my head, I’ve got clothes on my back and I’ve got food in my stomach – how can I complain?”
We’re rooting for you, Kez!