Kerry Katona interview
19 October 2007 - Kerry Katona spoke to GMTV's Andrew Castle about pregnancy, her mum, the robbery, Mark, Brian McFadden, her kids and her new book.
My Park Magazine has the interview in full...
Andrew Castle: Good morning. You're a novelist now?
Kerry Katona: I am! I'm a novelist, and actress, an ex-pop singer and lots of other things to go along with it.
AC: And soon to be a mum of four! Well you're looking very bright.
KK: I feel great. I've had no morning sickness, I feel healthy. With the other three kids, I was so poorly.
AC: What's different this time?
KK: I don't know, it could be a boy. I'm under so much pressure from the girls to have a baby boy.
AC: Because you're working on a netball team at the moment, you've got the three girls.
KK: I know I've got to get a TV haven't I? Or turn it on at least?
AC: You haven't worked out why it's happening yet?!
KK: No! (laughing)
AC: OK, we're going to do a sort of 'This Is Your Life' of your career.
Video plays of Kerry's career highlights
AC: What do you think when you see all that? You must get tired looking at it.
KK: That's quite amazing really for someone who's 27. Happy moments, sad moments, but I've never been happier now. I mean looking back at some of those things like falling out with my mother…
AC: Was that the worst?
KK: Well when you trust somebody with all your heart and life and they go and sell a story for a couple of grand, I mean...
AC: So what have you said to her about that?
KK: I've said nothing, we no longer speak. She's no longer a part of my life, the woman's deluded as far as I'm concerned.
AC: But you can't go through life…
KK: I mean she tried to say that Mark was a mass murderer as well! I'm mean you've got to laugh at that. The woman is just deluded.
AC: But she's still your mother.
KK: She is still my mum.
AC: And she's Grandmother now.
KK: She is a Grandmother but I wouldn't want my children around there because my mother's a self confessed cocaine addict as well. If anything went wrong and my children were there, who would be in trouble? Me.
AC: You've been in therapy this year haven't you?
KK: I'm in therapy every week. I see a psychiatrist once a week because I'm bipolar as well. That was diagnosed two years ago. So I have to see a psychiatrist once a week.
AC: But at least if you know you've got it, you can deal with it.
KK: Well that was one of the things. That was a great relief for me. I thought I was going insane. I thought, well we all know I'm a bit weird, but I honestly thought there was something seriously wrong with me. Then when he said bipolar, I didn't have a clue what bipolar was.
AC: And its mood swinging isn't it?
KK: Yes, it's just you're up and down. It's erratic. It's not a very nice illness, it's a lifelong illness. And when he diagnosed me with it, I burst into tears crying. Not because I thought 'Oh no! I've got bipolar!' I didn't have a clue what it was, but just the fact that I knew there was a name for it and that there's medication that I can take.
AC: Well drugs don't help…
KK: No, I did turn to drugs about three years ago.
AC: And being held at knife point in your own home doesn't help.
KK: No, it didn't help. I was off my medication you see, because when I got pregnant with Heidi I couldn't take my medication so my hormones were everywhere, my mood swings were everywhere, I was everywhere. And then after the robbery, it just sent me into this spiral of depression.
AC: You must still think about that?
KK: I haven't been downstairs to the cinema room, that's for sure, since I've been back in the house. Mark goes there and plays on his X Box down there and stuff.
AC: Would you think about moving from a place with such bad memories?
KK: Hopefully, I wouldn't mind moving the back end of next year to London. I'm thinking more to London now.
AC: What about the children? Talk about trauma. When it comes to custody and children. It was with Brian. You've had a terrible time haven't you?
KK: Unfortunately, I can't talk about that for legal reasons.
AC: As simple as that?
KK: Simple as that.
AC: Are the kids living with you?
KK: The kids are at home, they're great, they're healthy. Our Molly is a little character. They love Heidi, Lilly is a little character now. She's off school poorly at the minute. 'Hi Molly and Lilly and Heidi!'
AC: Molly's six isn't she?
KK: Molly's six going on fifty.
AC: Does she know a lot?
KK: She's so intelligent! We've just come back from our honeymoon and I put the video on. I'm dancing on the video and it's just the expression, the way she looks at you. 'Mum, what are you doing you idiot?' And I just looked at her. It's like she's sixteen! Talking to a sixteen year-old. But they're absolutely beautiful kids, they're very intelligent, they're so well behaved. I'm going to say that because they're mine!
AC: What are you like as a mum? And what's Mark like as a Step Dad?
KK: Mark is a wonderful Step Dad. He's so hands on. It's always 'Mark! Mark!' It's never 'Mummy!' It's always Mark.
AC: Because he's taken on a bit hasn't it? He's married you?
KK: That was enough to take on really wasn't it? Just taking me on let alone the kids!
AC: And two kids and Heidi.
KK: Plus we've Mark's daughter living with me as well.
AC: Do you have cats and dogs and fish?
KK: We have two dogs and we have a cat. I won a goldfish at a fair for our Molly once but it died. So we have two dogs and we have a cat as well.
AC: But he's doing well? And you guys are OK together? Because all this stuff in the summer came out about who was misbehaving and who wasn't.
KK: Well that's a load of baloney. I mean they said I did something naughty round the back of Tesco. They could at least have said Iceland. Give me a bit of credit! I don't have to walk outside my front door without a story coming out about me.
AC: How do you handle that though?
KK: Well before the robbery, I think that was a bit of a life changing experience. For somebody to actually intrude in my home, let alone intrude on me when I walk outside my front door. I probably would have broken down. But now, it's like you know on a Sunday afternoon when you're watching East Enders and you're feeling bit depressed and a bit fed up so you turn East Enders on and you're life feels great then doesn't it? Because there's nothing more miserable than East Enders half the time. You know, you feel a bit suicidal and you watch East Enders and you think 'Well you know my life's not as bad as that'. If my life in the tabloids makes somebody's life that's reading it seem a lot better than what they've got, then fine.
AC: Well it's not just an autobiography you've written as well. You've written 'Tough Love'. Pleased with this?
KK: I'm really pleased with it.
AC: Better tell us what it's about.
KK: It's about Leanne Cropton and she's a page three model who goes bust. I like that joke! And she's been living up in London for the last six years living the lifestyle and she's got a bit too old for being a glamour model and she has to move back up North to a lovely family. Her mother's a drug addict, her brother's been in and out of prison, the other ones are thieves and then she's got a sister who's bulimic.
AC: It's just another every day story. Somewhat autobiographical.
KK: It's like getting all the magazines together and putting it in one book and telling a good story.
AC: Its £6.99, it's by Kerry Katona, it's called Tough Love. It's lovely to see you.
KK: And you as well.
Interview courtesy of ITV/GMTV
