Kerry Katona has revealed she’s still suffering from Covid-19 weeks after testing positive for the virus in mid December.
Kerry first told fans she’d contracted coronavirus before Christmas, admitting the big day was a struggle and that “me and Ryan literally thought we were dying”.
But now a second positive test shows the virus has been lingering for weeks.
“I’m still struggling with coronavirus. I’ve had another test and I’m still positive,” she said. “I felt so bad over Christmas. I actually felt alright on Christmas Day and thought I was on the mend, but every now and then I’ll start to feel weak, and I’ve got a terrible chesty cough and a sore throat.”
CHECK OUT: Kerry Katona's career timeline
Kerry Katona's career timeline - slider
1 of 15Kerry Katona: Atomic Kitten
From 1998 to 2001, Kerry Katona rose to fame when she joined girl group, Atomic Kitten. After three years in the band she decided to quit but not before they achieved five top ten singles - including their hit Whole Again.
2 of 15Kerry Katona and Brian McFadden
At the start of 2002, Kerry married former Westlife member Brian McFadden and they had two daughters (Molly and Lilly-Sue) together. They met during the Smash Hits tour and were engaged after three months together. However after two years of marriage, Brian McFadden filed a divorce from Kerry Katona and in 2006 it was finalised.
3 of 15Kerry Katona: Loose Women panel
Kerry became a Loose Women panellist between 2003 and 2004, alongside Carol McGiffin, Kaye Adams, Sherrie Hewson and Claire Sweeney.
4 of 15Kerry Katona: Queen of the Jungle
In 2004 we saw Kerry Katona as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!. She appeared on the third series of the show, where she was voted the first ever Queen of the Jungle. Kerry won against English journalist and presenter, Jennie Bond and Peter Andre.
5 of 15Kerry Katona and Mark Croft
In early 2007, Katona married (for the second time) taxi driver Mark Croft. During their marriage they welcomed Heidi and Max into the world, however it was around this time that Kerry became bankrupt. Then in 2009, the pair broke up but later on reconciled. However, in 2011 a divorce was filed and confirmed.
6 of 15Kerry Katona's reality shows
Between 2007 and 2009, Kerry Katona had three reality shows which aired on MTV – Kerry Katona: Crazy in Love, Kerry Katona: Whole Again, and Kerry Katona: What's the Problem?. They all followed key moments in her life, such as her marriage to Mark, welcoming Max into the world and her bipolar disorder.
7 of 15Kerry Katona: This Morning interview
During her second marriage, in 2008, Kerry had her infamous This Morning interview with Phillip Schofield and Fern Britton. Kerry has said that it "destroyed" her career and she had to get TV companies to trust her again. And in a recent video uploaded to her YouTube channel, Kerry explained, "[The medication I was on] was really really strong… It was the only safe drug I was allowed to take… but it affected my speech." She added, "Because my speech is slurry people actually think I was drunk on the show… but that was pure medication and that's what winds me up."
8 of 15Kerry Katona: another reality show
In 2010 Kerry starred in two more of her own reality shows Katona: Coming Clean and Kerry Katona: The Next Chapter. During the shows she was honest about her battle with addiction, the realities of her relationship with Mark Croft and how she turned her life around.
9 of 15Kerry Katona: Dancing on Ice
In 2011, Kerry appeared on our screens as a contestant on the sixth series of Dancing on Ice and she partnered with professional ice skater Daniel Whiston. Unfortunately she was eliminated in the week 5 skate-off.
10 of 15Kerry Katona: Celebrity Big Brother
Following her appearance on Dancing on Ice, Kerry became a contestant on the eighth series of Celebrity Big Brother. She appeared alongside Jedward, Amy Childs and became runner-up to Paddy Doherty.
11 of 15Kerry Katona: The Big Reunion
In 2012, Kerry reunited with Liz McClaron and Natasha Hamilton for a TV series The Big Reunion which featured other groups such as Five and B*Witched. The popularity of the show led to Atomic Kitten going on a UK arena tour in 2013. After a whirlwind five years together, Katona decided to leave the group again in 2017 - leaving them as a duo.
12 of 15Kerry Katona and George Kay
In 2014, Kerry married her third husband rugby player George Kay, who she had Dylan-Jorge with. Shortly after their wedding it was reported that Kerry and George were on the rocks for various reasons and they ended up briefly splitting. They tried to save their relationship and even renewed their vows, but in 2017 they called quits on their turbulent marriage. In 2019 George sadly passed away.
13 of 15Kerry Katona: Loose Women... again
Kerry Katona returned to Loose Women as a guest panellist in 2016 for a special episode centred around mental health.
14 of 15Kerry Katona: Celebs Go Dating
In 2019, Kerry Katona starred in the sixth series of Celebs Go Dating – alongside TOWIE's Pete Wicks and Megan McKenna, and Love Island's Georgia Steel and Jack Fowler. She opened up a lot about her past relationships and even went on some very open and very awkward dates. Kerry turned up to the final show in Tenerife on her own and admitted she was happy with the journey she had been on.
15 of 15Kerry Katona and Ryan Mahoney engagement
Kerry got engaged to Ryan Mahoney in August 2020 during their holiday in Spain. The pair started dating in 2018 but split up after a few months. However, following her Celebs Go Dating stint they rekindled their relationship and the rest is history.
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Dismissing the claims, the TOWIE star swiftly slammed Hugo, writing on his Instagram that the claims were "ridiculously false (and libellous)."
"I have tested positive for coronavirus and haven’t received a penny to say so..." he said, "This is disgusting to the thousands of people who have lost their lives to this virus and also those currently suffering with it like myself..."
"I’m honestly gobsmacked at some people! I honestly wouldn’t wish Covid on anybody,” agreed Kerry. “People are dying from this illness what the f-ck is the matter with you?
"Doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity, a judge, a lollipop lady, a dinner lady, black, white, male, female this virus doesn’t care, If you’re going to get it you’re [going to] get it!"
For more information on coronavirus please head to the NHS website.