They were ’90s pop star sweethearts before it all ended in a bitter divorce. But now it seems Kerry Katona and her ex, Brian McFadden, are on greater terms than ever, as they united for their daughter Molly’s 21st birthday last week.
The former couple appeared in high spirits as they partied away in Dublin, Ireland – even hitting the dance floor together. They shared a sweet picture of themselves posing with birthday girl Molly and younger sister Lilly-Sue, 19.
Brian, 42, wrote alongside the picture, “I’m so very, very proud of the beautiful, talented and brilliant woman she has grown up to be,” while Kerry, also 42, shared, “Life won’t always be easy my baby girl, but I am with you every step of the bloody way.”
And now sources say that the former spouses have developed a strong co-parenting relationship.
The source says, “They’re both in a great place with each other and proud of their children. Brian has told Kerry she’s done a great job and it’s healed years of tension between them – they’re happy they’ve reached this point for their children as well. He is really proud of Molly and Lilly and can’t help but take his hat off to Kerry for being such a great mum when it’s clearly not always been that easy for her. They have this great new bond as co-parents and it’s lovely.”
Westlife star Brian and Atomic Kitten singer Kerry started dating in 1998, welcoming daughter Molly two years later and getting married in 2002, both aged just 22. But Brian famously cheated on Kerrybefore they were even married – with a stripper on his stag do. He said, “If I’m to be completely honest, the day my marriage ended was that stag night, before I even got married.” Soon after Lilly-Sue was born, their two-year marriage ended.
There followed a bitter war of words for many years – with Brian branding his ex-wife a “pig-faced mole” and saying she was “dead” to him. Meanwhile, Kerry called him “the fat one from Westlife” and stated that he was an “absent father” to their daughters.
The source now says that the pair are both embarrassed about their past slanging matches, saying, “Brian feels very remorseful of the way he acted with Kerry but, at the end of the day, he is proud of her and thinks she’s done amazingly well considering everything she’s been through. They were very young when they got married and had two children together, and for both of them, it feels like another lifetime ago. They’ve both come a long way.
“There was a time when Kerry felt completely abandoned by Brian and felt that he would always turn his nose up at her. There were a lot of hurt feelings, but Kerry has forgiven him. She knows she’s not perfect herself and isn’t anyone to judge – she’s just really happy that they can share a laugh with one another now.”
Kerry went on to marry twice more – first to ex-taxi driver Mark Croft, with whom she shares children Heidi, 15, and Maxwell, 14, and then to the late George Kay, dad to her eight-year-old daughter Dylan-Jorge. In 2020, Brian mocked Kerry’s failed marriages, saying that he imagined their daughters must be “f***ing sick of being bridesmaids”. Kerry responded by calling him a “d*ck”.
The singer and reality star is now engaged for a fourth time, finding love with Ryan Mahoney, 33, on a dating app in 2018. But insists she’s learned from her previous whirlwind relationship mistakes, saying last year, “I got engaged after three years. Normally by then I’m already divorced!”
Meanwhile, Brian got together with Neighbours actress Delta Goodrem soon after splitting from Kerry, and the pair dated for seven years, before he married Irish model and DJ Vogue Williams – now wife of Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews.
They divorced in 2017, and Brian is currently engaged to 38-year-old PE teacher Danielle Parkinson, with whom he shares a daughter.
And the source adds that through all of their relationship ups and downs over the years, Brian and Kerry are now really happy that they are in each other’s lives for Molly and Lilly.
The source adds, “They have learned that it’s all about communication, understanding and not judging one another. Kerry has watched how Brian has had quite a few false starts in his relationship history over the years and it’s acted as a leveller. It’s not as if they are best mates who share everything with each other, but they have exchanged some words of advice here and there – and clearly there is still a bond between them. Their family and friends think it’s really nice and everyone is happy that they can joke around and be pleasant. They both want the best for each other and their kids.”
