KERRY Katona has revealed she won’t have more surgery to repair her fragile, drug-damaged nose, insisting it’s a stark reminder to stay clean for the sake of her kids.
The mum-of-five admits her nose is on the brink of collapse after years of cocaine abuse, but refuses to go under the knife again as it remains the one thing that stops her from ever turning back to drugs.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Kerry, 45, says, “My kids know about my mistakes, and about the drugs.
“I even have a hole in my nose that I refuse to get fixed, and I’ve shown it to my children, because for me it was a reminder that if I put another line of coke up my nose, it could collapse.
“I didn’t want to get it fixed because I wanted to make sure I never went down that path again – and I know I never will.”
Kerry underwent major surgery last year to rebuild and strengthen the structure of her nose, with surgeons using a piece of her rib to stabilise it. Yet the hole in her septum may never fully heal – a permanent reminder of the years she spent battling addiction.
She was first introduced to drugs by her mum Sue, who gave her speed telling her it was sherbet when Kerry was just 14.
At the time, Kerry was living in foster care, but would regularly sneak out to see her mum at her council flat in Warrington – and it was that early introduction that led Kerry into regularly taking cocaine.
However, it wasn’t until later in life that the star realised it wasn’t just the drugs she needed to walk away from to get clean, it was the people.
“For me it wasn’t the addiction, it was the people I was surrounded by,” she says. “It’s like being in a tribe, every time you try to better yourself, they pull you back.
“You’ve got to remember, I was brought up with thieves and druggies. We were rough as f**k – we were bad.
“Every time I tried to better myself, I was still around these people, and my mum was my universe. They drag you back down because your progress reminds them they’re not going to change, and they hate watching you succeed.
“The hardest part wasn’t giving up drugs, it was walking away from the people I thought were my friends.”
At the age of 21, Kerry married her first husband, former Westlife star Brian McFadden – dad to her eldest daughters Molly, now 23, and Lilly-Sue, now 21, – but their relationship crumbled when she struggled to forgive him for cheating on her at his stag do.
Three years after their divorce, she married cabbie Mark Croft, but this union only reignited her drug use.
She explains, “When that first marriage ended, it was so public and traumatising.
“Then I met my second husband – who was actually my mum’s drug dealer. I’d only been out of rehab six weeks and my mum said, ‘I’ve ordered one of them [a wrap of cocaine].’ That’s what people like that do, they pull you back down to their level. And then Mark walked in.
It wasn’t the addiction; it was the people I was surrounded by
Kerry Katona
GETTING HELP:
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“I realised on a podcast recently that I married him to p**s my mum off. I also felt I had to prove publicly that I was happy, but it was all a lie – it should have been a one-night stand.
“But now when I talk about my exes, I’m grateful. I had the wrong partners, but I got the right kids – and for that I’m eternally thankful.”
These days, Kerry has a strong support network around her, including close friend Katie Price, who she met on I’m A Celebrity… in 2004.
Their friendship has had its ups and downs – Katie infamously branded Kerry “a druggie” in 2007 – but they’re now firmly reunited and recently toured together, sharing stories about their careers, friendship, marriages and divorces.
“It’s rare to meet someone who truly gets it,” Kerry says. “It’s weird how Kate’s and my life mirror each other, just on a different timeline. We both married has-been popstars and we both know how certain ‘friends’ change towards us.
“I was 18 when I met Brian – I thought he was my knight in shining armour, but he turned out to be a kn**head in tin foil!
“It was similar with Kate – two kids, a fairytale wedding, both husbands in pop. Well, I’m not sure I’d call Pete a popstar…Brian had 13 Number Ones. Pete had that one.”
Kerry Katona’s love life timeline
Brian McFadden – 2002
Kerry’s first high-profile relationship was with Brian McFadden, who was then a member of the Irish boyband Westlife.
The couple married in 2002 and had two daughters together, Molly and Lilly-Sue, but divorce beckoned just four years later after infidelity claims.
Mark Croft – 2007
In 2007, Kerry married Mark Croft, a former taxi driver.
Their relationship was tumultuous and marked by financial difficulties and accusations of infidelity.
They had two children together, Heidi and Maxwell, before divorcing in 2011.
Kerry has spoken openly about the difficulties she faced during this period, including struggles with her mental health and substance abuse.
George Kay – 2014
Following this, she entered into a relationship with George Kay, a former professional rugby league player.
They married in 2014 and had a daughter, Dylan-Jorge (DJ). However, their relationship was fraught with issues, including horrifying domestic abuse, and they separated in 2017. Kay died in 2019 after ‘biting into a ball of cocaine’.
Ryan Mahoney – 2020
Kerry later found love again with Ryan Mahoney, a fitness trainer.
The couple became engaged in 2020, and Kerry described Ryan as a stabilising and positive influence in her life.
After increasing speculation late in 2024, Kerry revealed they had split over a “breach in trust” and Ryan had moved out of her home.
Paolo Margaglione – 2025
Kerry met Paolo after taking part on the E4 dating show Celebs Go Dating. They have since moved in together, blending their large families and frequently sharing their happiness and PDA on social media.
But after three husbands and two fiancés, Kerry says she is now “very happy” with the new man in her life, personal trainer Paolo Margaglione, 33, who she met on Celebs Go Dating.
“I’m in a really good relationship,” she says. “Normally when I start seeing someone, I keep it quiet, then it comes out and everyone has an opinion, like ‘Oh, here we go again.’
“People forget all of my relationships, and all my leg-overs, have been documented since I was 17.
“I’m very much in love, but that’s not what my life revolves around. My life revolves around trying to be a better version of myself than I was yesterday. That’s what excites me about the future.
“Work is amazing, and I just want to keep growing.”