EXCLUSIVE: Kerry Katona reveals she ‘doesn’t blame’ Brian McFadden for divorcing her – but admits his infidelity triggered her childhood trauma: ‘You can’t force somebody to love you’

While Kerry Katona has a lot to celebrate with the joyful news that she’s making another trip down the aisle, her road to romantic bliss has been pretty rocky. The Warrington native has already made three trips down the aisle, with each marriage coming to a tumultuous end. And with a handful of relationships in between, it’s fair to say that the star now deserves her chance at happily ever after. Below is a list of the star’s marriages and relationships.

BRIAN McFADDEN (1999-2004)

It was a match made in pop heaven when Kerry and Brian McFadden met while their respective bands, Atomic Kitten and Westlife, were touring together in 1999. Their romance was such a whirlwind that Brian proposed within three months of the pair getting together and they welcomed their daughter Molly in 2001. A lavish celebrity wedding followed in 2002, and a year later they welcomed their second daughter, Lily-Sue. But alas, it was not meant to be as in 2004 the couple announced their divorce amid allegations that Brian had cheated on Kerry with a lap dancer. Heartbroken Kerry got a quickie divorce.

DAN CORSI (2004)

Kerry very briefly got back together with her ex, Dan Corsi, who she first dated in 1998. During their time together, they visited Kerry’s hometown of Warrington and were also spotted partying up a storm at the London hot spot of the moment Pangea. Dan boasted about the star’s bed, saying, “Spending the night with Kerry was everything I hoped it would be.” I thought she’d find it hard to be with anyone else after five years with Brian, but it felt natural.’ However, friends reportedly feared that Dan was just making money off Kerry’s fame amid reports that he was still living with his ex, while texting another former flame at the same time. It only took six weeks of rekindled romance before Kerry, feeling it was too soon after the breakup of her marriage to start a new relationship, reportedly dumped Dan over the phone. Surprisingly, her ex-husband Brian publicly shared his thoughts on Dan, telling The Mirror at the time: ‘Iknown him for a while and i know he’s not the one for her. I don’t want her to get hurt. Despite everything that’s happened, I just want her to be happy.”

DAVE CUNNINGHAM (2005)

In stark contrast to her glitzy showbiz marriage, Kerry began a romance with her former high school sweetheart, Dave Cunningham, with the couple announcing their engagement in 2005. However, it wasn’t long before their relationship hit the rocks, with the pair falling into a furious argument while on holiday in Spain, amid rumors that Dave had been seeing his ex-girlfriend behind her back. A source told People at the time: ‘Kerry is devastated. After everything she’s been through this year, she truly believed that Dave could be her savior. Then the shocking revelations about his ex surfaced.’

MARK CROFT (2005-2010)

Six weeks after her breakup, Kerry was run over by taxi driver Mark Croft. He proposed in 2006 after only six weeks of dating, and they tied the knot on Valentine’s Day 2007. Their marriage produced two children: daughter Heidi and son Maxwell. However, the union came about during a tumultuous time in Kerry’s life, when she saw her fortune (which once peaked at £6.8 million) dwindle to the point that she was declared bankrupt. During her marriage, she also made her infamous appearance on ITV’s This Morning where her slurred speech sparked concern from viewers. She eventually admitted that she was addicted to cocaine, as she confessed, “I hated my life. I was in bed three days straight doing cocaine with Mark. We drank coke in our bathroom and had a lock on the door. The kids knew that if the bathroom door was locked, they couldn’t come in.” After even contemplating suicide during their marriage, the couple split in 2010. Mark would later admit to “bleeding out” Kerry during their ill-fated relationship.

LUCIEN LAVISCOUNT (2011)

She also dated Emily In Paris star Lucien Laviscount 12 years ago. Lucien and Kerry met during their time on Celebrity Big Brother in 2011, when he was 19 at the time and she was 31. At the time, Lucien described Kerry as “amazing” and added, “When I’m with her, I don’t.” “I don’t feel like there’s an age difference at all.” At the time, Kerry called them “friends with benefits,” later admitting they called it quits because “I would never want to take his youth away from him!” 12 years after their whirlwind romance, Kerry broke her silence about their viral relationship when she called Lucien “charming” and “talented.” She said ok! Magazine recently: ‘Apparently my OK! magazine cover from 2011 featuring my former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Lucien Laviscount has gone viral on social media! “Lucien was very charming and clearly pleasing to the eye, and it was all just a little fun.”

STEVE ALCE (2012)

Kerry famously dated artist Steve Alce in 2012 and said she would marry him just weeks after their relationship. After meeting at a glitzy sports dinner in, he moved into her home in Cheshire a few months later. But less than a year later, the fast-moving romance was over. She sensationally dumped lover Steve for being “too boring.” The reality star clashed with artist Steve and kicked him out of the house, calling him “too reliable and boring.” A friend told The People: Kerry was smitten at first, she loved that he wasn’t interested in all the celebrity glitz and glamor.”

DAN FODEN (2012)

Kerry couldn’t believe her luck when she secured a date with handsome Take Me Out contestant Dan Foden that same year, but their relationship was over within weeks. She then told a friend, “I can’t believe I drew it.” He’s dead fit, he’s gorgeous. He has a lot of money, and the best thing is that he has no children and no ex-wife.’ But game show contestant Dan struggled with his life in the public eye and hinted that their relationship was moving too fast.

GEORGE KAY (2012-2017)

It seemed that a change of fortune was in store for Kerry 2012, when she met George Kay, who was working as her driver at the time. Sparks flew between the pair, prompting former rugby player George to pop the question at the top of Blackpool Tower in April 2013. Exactly one year later, more joy came to their home when Kerry gave birth to their daughter Dylan-Jorge. A trip down the aisle followed in September 2014 and it seemed Kerry had finally found the elusive One. But trouble came to their relationship two months after the wedding, when George was hospitalized after showing ‘signs of a stroke’, leaving Kerry struggling to cope. Her struggles in dealing with George’s behavior led to the couple breaking up, though they would eventually get back together and renew their wedding vows. However, it would finally come to an end in 2017, amid allegations of domestic violence by George. But the heartbreak didn’t end there as in July 2019, George passed away unexpectedly at the age of 39.

JAMES ENGLISH (2017)

It was only weeks before the star started a new relationship after her spat from George. Showing she was a woman of the times, Kerry officially took to Instagram in 2017 with her hunky new boyfriend James English. within just two months. In fact, their split was so quiet that it wasn’t noticed until the star talked about being a singleton again.

RYAN MAHONEY (2018 – present)

Kerry met personal trainer Ryan in 2018 after they found a match on dating app Bumble. The pair called it quits shortly after a make-or-break trip to Thailand, but rekindled their romance in 2019.

After spending much of the Covid lockdown together, Ryan proposed to Kerry in 2021, and they’re still going strong with a wedding on the way.