Kerry Katona

In 1998, Katona auditioned for a new girl group created by OMD frontman Andy McCluskey and was chosen, along with Liz McClarnon and Heidi Range – replaced by Natasha Hamilton in 1999. The group became Atomic Kitten and their debut single, "Right Now", was released on 29 November 1999, reaching number 10 in UK.[12] Following this initial success, the group released three more singles that failed to reach the top5 and a debut album that just peaked at 29.[12] Atomic Kitten's record label, Innocent Records, was considering dropping them because of their limited success, but were persuaded to allow the group to release "Whole Again" on 29 January 2001.[13] Katona shot the music video, but left the group two days before release because of an unexpected pregnancy and conflicts with the other girls.[14]

She was quickly replaced by former Precious singer Jenny Frost and their debut album was re-released with the new vocalist.[15] With Frost, "Whole Again" reached number one in 18 other countries,[15] and the group had four number one singles in UK, two number one albums and estimated sales of 10 million records.[16]

In 2002, Katona presented the ITV's dating show ElimiDate and appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.[17] In 2004, she won the third series of the British reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.[18] She also appeared as judge on the RTÉ talent show You're a Star. In 2005 Katona starred her own reality show, My Fair Kerry, on ITV.[19] From 2007 to 2010, she starred more five reality shows on MTV UK about her life, rehab and bipolar disorder: Kerry Katona: Crazy in Love (2007), Kerry Katona: Whole Again (2008), Kerry Katona: What's The Problem? (2009), Kerry Katona: Coming Clean (2010) and Kerry Katona: The Next Chapter (2010).[20] In 2009, she also attempted to become a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother 7 but she failed the required psychological tests.[21]

In 2011 she was a contestant on Dancing on Ice Series 6 and Celebrity Big Brother 8, reaching the second place.[22]

In 2013 Katona reunited with Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton to reform Atomic Kitten for the reality show The Big Reunion, along with five other pop groups of their time – 911, Honeyz, B*Witched, Five and Liberty X.[23] After the show, they officially returned and toured for four years.[24][25][26] In 2017 Katona left the group again when she drank and hit Hamilton after a performance in Australia.[27] In 2019, Katona appeared in the sixth series of E4 reality series Celebs Go Dating.[28]

In 2021, Katona starred more reality shows, including Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Fame in the Family, Celeb Cooking School and Celebs on the Farm, which she won.[29][30] In 2022, she became co-host of the Wheel of Misfortune podcast alongside comedian Alison Spittle.[31]

Since 2004, Katona is in and out of rehab many times for cocaine and alcohol abuse, as she says in her autobiography, Still Standing.[44] In 2009, Iceland Foods and Asda supermarkets broke a long-standing €290,000 advertising campaigns deal with Katona after photographs appeared in the tabloids, allegedly showing her taking cocaine in a bathroom.[45][46]

Like her mother Sue, Katona was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005.[47] On 19 July 2007 Katona was admitted to the Priory Hospital with a mental health crisis.[48] Katona also has dyslexia[49] and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).[50] Katona is a patron of The Shannon Bradshaw Trust, a Warrington-based charity which helps children with life-threatening conditions.[51]

On 15 July 2007, Katona, Croft, and their young daughter Heidi were held hostage, when three men forcibly entered their home in Wilmslow, one of them holding Katona at knife-point while the others forced Croft to show them where valuables were kept.[52] Nobody was physically harmed, but the men left with a blue BMW and other valuables with an estimated total value between £100,000 and £150,000.[53][54] On 21 August 2008, Katona was declared bankrupt at the High Court in London after failing to pay the final £82,000 of a £417,000 tax bill.[55][56] On 2 July 2013, Katona filed for bankruptcy again at County Court in Wigan.[57]

On 8 May 2019, Brighton Magistrates' Court ordered Katona to pay a £500 fine after the school attendance rate of one of her children had fallen below 50% in 2018, but her solicitor argued that Katona did not have childcare and had to take the child to work with her.[58]