Entertainment
Kerry Katona once so ‘hard up’ she sold pet parrot to pay for tampons
Kerry had a tough childhood (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Kerry Katona has revealed that she had to sell her pet parrot Alfie as a teen, in order to afford period products so she could perform at a gig.
The 41-year-old former Atomic Kitten star, who now runs a lucrative OnlyFans account, was asked in an interview if she’s ever been ‘really hard up’.
Speaking to The Times, she replied: ‘God, yeah! When I was 17, we sold my parrot, Alfie, for £20 so I could buy some Tampax.
‘I had this gig paying me £50 to dance in a nightclub and I got my period, so I needed sanitary towels, but we didn’t have the money. That was the last we heard of Alfie!’
The star reflected on her ‘tough’ childhood, remembering how the kindness of others had made all the difference.
Recalling Christmas Day when she was nine years old and had just been rehomed in a refuge with her mum, she explained: ‘We were in a house, with no food and no decorations, and the refuge people knocked on the door with a bin bag of second-hand stuff. We were so grateful.’
Now Kerry ‘always gives back’ to charity shops and refuges, adding: ‘I gave a beautiful Jenny Packham dress that cost thousands to a charity shop.’
The Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star, who is currently pursuing surrogacy with her fiancé Ryan Mahoney, shares daughters Molly-Marie and Lilly-Sue with ex-husband Brian McFadden, and children Heidi and Maxwell with second husband Mark Croft.
Kerry took part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins this year (Picture: Channel 4/PA)
She is also mum to daughter Dylan-Jorge, with ex-husband George Kay, who died in 2019 from a seizure after biting into a ‘ball’ of cocaine during a binge at a Holiday Inn.
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Kerry has also been open about her past drug addiction issues, revealing earlier this year to New! magazine: ‘The amount of coke I was once doing, I literally died. I remember coming back [from the brink of death] with these beautiful figures around me and I felt so much love – that happened to me twice.
‘I’d stopped breathing. So I know I have angels looking out for me. You can knock me down but you can’t keep me down.’
Worried about drugs?
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
Adfam has local groups for families affected by drugs and alcohol and DrugFam offers phone and email support to people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse.
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