In a secular, capitalist society, our aspirations often lead us towards celebrity - but is this dream lifestyle laced with a curse? Marie Kemplay looks at the case of Kerry Katona

It’s been a bad week for Kerry Katona, - “what week isn’t?” I may hear you ask - after she slurred her way through a cringe inducing interview on This Morning last week. Her publicist Max Clifford, who Kerry once described as a ‘surrogate father’, has announced he will no longer represent her. In an interview with Heat magazine he said he was increasingly worried about the foundering celeb after being told by Kerry’s friends that she is drinking more and more, earlier and earlier. It completes what has been a spectacular fall from grace for the bubbly 28 year old who was once ‘Queen of the Jungle’ and a mum of the year candidate.

Kerry who was in and out of care from an early age did not have an easy start in life. But things started looking up for her after a brief and modestly successful career in girl band Atomic Kitten who had chart success with songs such as Whole Again which made it to number one. Lyrics like “So come on baby do it to me good now, Do it to me slowly (oh yeah), Do it to me Right Now” might explain why Atomic Kitten aren’t remembered for their profound lyrical talent.

In 2001 she had every tweenager’s dream marriage to blonde, airbrushed popstar, Bryan McFadden of Westlife ‘fame’. But the marriage was short-lived and after having two daughters, Molly and Lilly-Sue the pair split in 2004, causing Kerry to spiral into a drug fuelled depression followed by a spell in rehab. Last year she married taxi driver Mark Croft and the pair have two children, Heidi and Mark. Kerry provoked outrage in the media for continuing to smoke and drink during the pregnancies, claiming she didn’t think a few puffs would do much harm.

Add to this an armed robbery at her home in July 2007 triggering symptoms of bi-polar disorder, being declared bankrupt in August 2008 for failing to pay a tax bill, constant rumours that she is on drugs and her ongoing custody battle with her McFadden and it’s little wonder she is struggling to hold it together.

It’s all a far cry from her former Atomic Kitten band mates who are both preparing to release solo albums. Natasha Hamilton has recently finished touring with Lionel Ritchie, appeared in the BBC series “Just the Two of Us” and won the ‘Rear of the Year’ award in 2003. Liz McClarnon won Celebrity Masterchef in July and made her debut as a National Lottery presenter last Wednesday.

It’s hard not to feel sorry for Kerry; the media thrives on her and other celebrities like her. For example Amy Winehouse has constantly been in the papers over the past year for her drink and drug fuelled exploits in Camden. Allegedly shoplifting, attacking people in the street and wandering around in her bra in the early hours of the morning, all perfect tabloid fodder; sometimes all that’s necessary is for her to come out of her house and look a bit ropey. In America Britney Spears hasn’t had it much better. Her whole bitter custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline and her mental health problems have been lapped up by the media. Her personal nadir arrived when she was filmed being taken to hospital in an ambulance chasing frenzy.

Despite Kerry complaining that Phillip Schofield and Fern Britton stitched her up, they would never have exposed her to that kind of media firestorm and conducted the interview had they known what a state she was. They claimed that she arrived too late for them to speak to her before going on air. Schofield said in the Daily Mail earlier this week: “In my mind she shouldn’t be paraded on television - she should be taken home and loved up and cared for.” I couldn’t agree more. But it seems MTV do not agree and their documentary Whole Again, broadcast on Sundays, shows Kerry giving birth and having breast reduction surgery.

Tags: Digital TV //