Kerry Katona has exclusively revealed that she “should be dead in a gutter somewhere on an overdose of cocaine”.
The former Atomic Kitten singer went through a well-publicised battle with drugs.
And, speaking exclusively to Entertainment Daily to launch her new Marnii dating app, Kerry is thrilled to admit she’s turned her life around.
She told us: “I’m giving myself credit. I’ve turned my life around and I’m in the best place I’ve ever been.”
Kerry Katona on her exes
With fiancé Ryan Mahoney sitting by her side, Kerry spoke openly and honestly about her past relationships – and revealed why she thinks things will be different this time around.
She has previously been married to Brian McFadden, Mark Croft and George Kay, who died in 2019.
Kerry revealed that she and Ryan are like “chalk and cheese” but admitted: “It just works.”
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“Ryan hasn’t been to an event with me. We’re like chalk and cheese,” she said.
“Ryan is very laid back, calm and settled and I’m a million miles and hour. We’re like chalk and cheese but we fit very well.
“I’ve never had that before. I’ve always been with a fella who wanted the fame,” she claimed.
Why things are different with Ryan
“Whereas Ryan, this is our business together [the dating app] and it works so well.
“The difference is with me and Ryan we’re opposites, we balance each other out. Everyone else I’ve been with has been quite loud and lairy and they’ve wanted to be centre of attention, they’ve wanted to be in control of things.
“It isn’t like that this time,” she revealed.
Read more: Kerry Katona admits she felt she ‘didn’t deserve’ to find love
“Ryan’s a go-getter, he has dreams, he has goals. Everyone else relied on me – I’ve been the breadwinner.
“When we first got together, that first year I had to live off Ryan because I wasn’t working. He was looking after me and the children. I’ve never had that before. Ever. So that for me was a massive change,” Kerry added.
Why should people turn to Kerry Katona for dating advice?
So with three failed marriages under her belt, why should people look to Kerry for dating advice and download her new app?
“I think for me the proof is in the pudding. If you’ve seen me lately on TV, I’m giving myself credit, I’ve turned my life around, I’m in the best place I’ve ever been.
“I believe I’m where I’m supposed to be right now. It’s taken me 40 years to get here and I’ve gone through every obstacle you can think of.
I should be dead in a gutter somewhere on an overdose of cocaine on the streets, skint, but I never gave up and look where I am now.
“Whether it’s addiction, bankruptcy, divorce, mental health, I’ve done it all and I’ve never given up, I’ve never quit. I’m very resilient.”
She added: “So I think people would turn to me more than they would turn to anyone else because I’ve never given up. I’ve got through it and I’m still here and I’m the best I’ve ever been.”
‘I should be dead’
“I should be dead, I should be dead in a gutter somewhere on an overdose of cocaine on the streets, skint, but I never gave up and look where I am now,” she said.
Kerry also revealed that she’s “madly in love” with Ryan – although she’s reluctant to call him the love of her life.
“I’m not going to say Ryan is the love of my life. I’ve had so many loves of my life but I am so madly in love with Ryan. Don’t get me wrong, we bicker but it doesn’t last very long. I am a handful.”
The couple’s app, which Kerry reveals is Ryan’s “baby”, launched earlier this week and already has more than 10,000 users.
“The reception has been amazing,” Ryan confirmed. “It’s had a really good start.”
‘I thought I was allergic to men’
“I just think there are so many people who relate to me,” Kerry added.
“I’ve been married divorced, married divorced, widowed, I just thought maybe I’m just allergic to it, or just allergic to men.
“So for two years I just had to work on myself and learnt to love me and I went on a dating app. It was all in the papers I was on this app. I wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed of it.
“We had a day date while the kids were in school and it was a real slower burner for me. I got really scared, I was like I can’t put my kids through this again. I don’t want another failed marriage or relationship, but it was just a really really natural process.
“Three years later we’re engaged. This has been completely different, really slow and steady. We’ve gone about it the right way,” she said.
‘This is Ryan’s baby’
Kerry added: “The whole dating app idea was Ryan, this is his baby. This is something he wanted to create and our journey reflects the dating app.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail, I know there are so many people out there who have been so unlucky in love they just give up and end up being on their own.
“I think people look at me for inspiration. If I gave up I’d be a cat lady now with a million and one cats. Don’t give up. I went on a dating app and I found Ryan.
“And if I can do that after all the failures I’ve been through then I want other people to try and come along on the journey that we’ve been on together.”
Marnii is an exciting new dating app from Kerry Katona and her fiancé Ryan Mahoney. Available on iPhone and Android, Marnii provides singletons with a safe and secure platform to find their happy ever after. Find out more here.
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