We want our girls to do Love Island – reality TV is family business, says Katie Price & Kerry Katona
They've been queens of the scene for nearly 30 years, forged in the fire of the Chinawhite club, lads' mags and cheesy pop.
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Former hellraisers Kerry Katona and Katie Price are hitting the road for joint tour
Credit: Dan Charity
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Best pals Kerry and Katie share a joke
Credit: Dan Charity
So while big nights together might now involve a takeaway and a crime documentary, they hanker after those halcyon days when being famous was fun, and showbiz parties didn't mean dodging influencers there solely to capture their 'content'.
Kerry, 44, said: 'That's when pop stars and celebrities were proper celebrities! It's not like that now.
'I think me and Kate are like the two originals who are left.'
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Kerry chimes in: 'And mine. But there's no picture of me falling out of a nightclub!'
Katie laughs: 'There was of me.'
After they burst into the spotlight in the late 1990s, the two have remained best pals, sticking together through six husbands, ten kids, all the scandal and all the drama.
They finish each other's sentences, I can't get a word in edgeways ('You won't need those questions, love,' Kerry trills) and they cackle, constantly.
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Grinning as she remembers those early days when she first made it big as
A Katie/Kerry sandwich
'We knew that back in the day, Chinawhite, Wednesday; Saturdays, Emporium; and Twice As Nice on a Sunday. Oh my God, I'm smiling because I look back at them days, the music, everything.
Kerry Katona admits she 'didn't like' close pal Katie Price's Jordan alter-ego as she reveals she persuaded her to do OnlyFans
'It was just . . . you'd be excited to go out. Now I don't go to events unless I'm being paid to be there.'
Kerry agrees: 'Unless you pay me to go, I wouldn't go.'
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And, believe it or not, they still get paid handsomely to do so.
Despite more than their fair share of headlines, these girls remain showbiz royalty and can still book out a venue — which is what finds me snuggled up on a sofa, in a Katie and Kerry sandwich.
Across 33 dates, they're taking
More on that later but why, I wonder, do they reckon they've still got fans gagging for more?
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The thing is, with me and Kerry, we didn't map out what our lives would be. We didn't know we'd still be here 30 years on
Katie Price
Kerry said: 'We are relatable. That's why we're still here, because we have been through sh*t. And there's not many people in this industry who are authentic.
'We weren't like nine-year-old little girls going, 'When I grow up, I want to get married three times, I want to have five children, to three different men' but that is life.'
Katie adds: 'The thing is, with me and Kerry, we didn't map out what our lives would be. We didn't know we'd still be here 30 years on. And not many people we started out with are still here — so we must be here for a reason.'
With another cackle, Kerry adds: 'I think it's because of our new tt jobs.'
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Their baggy tops can't hide the fact both are sporting fresh and perky
They met in the early days, but grew inseparable after their shared stint on I'm A Celebrity in 2004. It makes them each other's most successful relationship, I venture.
Not many people we started out with are still here — so we must be here for a reason
Katie Price
Kerry said: 'We've got lots of love for each other. I know I could tell Kate anything and it wouldn't go anywhere else.
'I can go three months and not speak to Kate and just pick up where we left. Because that's the real thing.
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'You don't have to be on a phone with each other 24 hours a day. That's a real friendship. There are things nobody knows anything about I have told Kate, and Kate has told me things, and it goes no further.'
Kerry married Westlife star Brian McFadden in 2002,
Katie's first was Peter Andre in 2005 — with Kerry as a bridesmaid — then
Maybe they should just commit to each other, I muse. Kerry laughs: 'We said that! We might as well!'
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Kerry and Katie's friendship has survived through the marriages and scandals
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Katie adds: 'We actually did say that. We said we could do a wedding programme where we're marrying each other.'
It's probably no surprise that sources have suggested they'd once enjoyed a romantic relationship.
The double act trill: 'What are those sources? HP and ketchup!'
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Kerry adds: 'Oh please. Seriously. Silly! But there's love there isn't there Kate?'
Katie said: 'There's always going to be love there.' It's even easier to hang out now that their daughters, Katie's Princess and Kerry's Heidi, both 18, are also best mates.
The 'momagers' have got big hopes for their girls — and scoff at any claims of nepotism.
Kerry said: 'I'm desperate for Princess and Heidi to do the Jungle together. Imagine.
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'I can see it in her eyes'
Katie added: 'I always say Love Island. Heidi and Princess need to do it together.'
Kerry said: 'The way I see it is, forget management, forget fame, what an amazing memory. What an amazing adventure.
'So I think if Heidi goes to Love Island for three months and has the best time then that's amazing.
This is our family business. This is what we do as a family
Kerry Katona
'Both me and Kate have done every reality show.
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'We are the reality queens. We're part of TV history. When we did I'm A Celebrity, the ratings were the highest they ever had. And we're a part of that.
'Everyone talks about nepotism right, but everyone has a contact for somebody. I can open a door for you. Whether you get through that door and you stay through it, that's on your own f*cking merit.
'You don't see Brooklyn Beckham playing f*cking football, because he's sh*t.
'This is our family business. This is what we do as a family.
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'And between the pair of us, we do have an orphanage to feed.'
As well as Heidi, Kerry has a son, Maxwell, 17, with Croft. Then there is Molly, 23, and Lilly-Sue, 22, with McFadden and DJ, 11 with Kay.
Katie has
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Katie wants to see her daughter Princess on Love Island
Credit: Instagram
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Kerry's daughter Heidi
Credit: David Cummings
Katie says: 'Quite often if I need to remember something I think, let me Google it. If I have to fill out a form and do the kids' dates of births, I Google it.'
I'm getting a front row seat to the kinds of banter fans can expect from the brand new tour, conceived after the success of their double act as the stepsisters in adult panto Cinderella.
They promise this production will be a little more sophisticated though — unless Jordan comes out to play.
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Kerry said: 'With Kate, I can see the alter ego change, when she goes from Kate to being Jordan I can see it in her eyes.
'Sometimes I have to go, get back in your box.'
Katie said: 'She gets embarrassed! Like when we did adult panto, she can't bear it! You'd think that with her Only Fans, Kerry would be quite cool with it.'
Both me and Kate, we've done the drugs, we've done the bankruptcy, we've done the divorces, we have lost so much. We are still here. This is resilience
Kerry Katona
Kerry said: 'At the adult panto, I saw the alter ego arrive and I thought, I'm f*cked here. And I literally ended up going in the wings, and I was so bright red.
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'She was in her element, and I'm like, oh my God, I'm going to die.'
The girls have written the show themselves and this time it's all about them.
Kerry explains: 'It's about mental health. It's about struggles. It's about how you got through it. You know, I'm more than happy to talk about heartbreak, but we're not doing exes.
'Both me and Kate, we've done the drugs, we've done the bankruptcy, we've done the divorces, we have lost so much. We are still here. This is resilience.
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'Women, we do not lift each other up enough. No one's prepared to straighten each other's crown, and that's what me and Kate do for each other. That is what this tour is about.'
With Kate, I can see the alter ego change, when she goes from Kate to being Jordan I can see it in her eyes
Kerry Katona
Katie adds: 'And how it's changed us as people. I don't like to say I'm glad I've gone through it, but it's made me who I am today, and that is a lot more happy. I'm in the best place I've ever been.'
It wouldn't be a tour with these two without them belting out some ballads, and they've even promised some dancing.
Maybe things haven't changed that much from nights in Chinawhite, after all.
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Katie said: 'The thing is, I don't know what it's like to have a nine- to-five job, getting on the train, working in an office. I have no idea what that life would be. I've been doing it from such a young age.'
Kerry added: 'We do it 24 hours every day. We are badass boss bitches. We run our own sh*t and we are creating this ourselves.'
Cheers to the next 30 years.
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Kerry and Katie with The Sun's Felicity Cross
Credit: Dan Charity
An Evening With Katie Price And Kerry Katona tours the UK from September to November. See antonbensonproductions. com for dates and tickets.
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The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Secret rift tearing Katie Price and daughter Princess apart as distraught mum says ‘I feel like Brooklyn Beckham'
The Sun can exclusively lay bare the secret rift between mother and daughter after the teenager was told to 'distance herself' from Katie THE PRICE IS WRONG Secret rift tearing Katie Price and daughter Princess apart as distraught mum says 'I feel like Brooklyn Beckham' AS 18-year-old Princess Andre gears up for a debut TV series, the similarities between her and mum Katie Price are stark. Pneumatic model Katie also got her big break aged 18, with big-money deals, frenzied press speculation and reality television shows to follow. 9 9 The Sun can exclusively lay bare the heartbreaking secret rift between mum Katie Price and daughter Princess Andre Credit: Instagram 9 Telly bosses deliberately cut ex-glamour model Katie Price out of her daughter's forthcoming ITV2 show, The Princess Diaries 9 In a bid to market Princess as a pretty, middle-class influencer, they even turned down Katie's team's offer to film Credit: Getty Which makes the secret rift between mother and daughter, which we can lay bare for the first time today, all the more heartbreaking. While Katie, 47, adores her eldest daughter — who she had with first husband Peter Andre — she has been left devastated after the teenager was told to 'distance herself' from her 'low-rent' relative. Telly bosses deliberately cut the former glamour model out of forthcoming ITV2 show, The Princess Diaries, because it is 'not good for Princess to be seen with Katie'. In a bid to market the youngster as a pretty, middle-class influencer, they even turned down Katie's team's offer to film for free for three days. 'A BIT MOLLY-CODDLED' The snub, says a friend, has crushed the mum of five, with parallels, they say, to the ongoing Beckham family feud. Says one: 'Katie feels isolated and disregarded. She loves Princess so much and is supremely proud of the young woman she is becoming. But with all her expertise in the field, Kate obviously hoped to help steer her career — oversee contracts, advise her on press, that sort of thing. 'She has seen and done it all, and hoped to instil some wisdom and advice on how to handle fame. 'But ITV2 execs have made it clear they want nothing to do with her. Princess has been advised to distance herself from her outspoken mum, and is perhaps too young and shy to defy orders. 'Katie has been made to feel like a pariah when it comes to Princess's professional life. 'It's almost as though her working class roots and salt-of-the-earth attitude — one that has seen her make millions and remain a household name 25 years on — aren't good enough. Trailer for the upcoming series of The Princess Diaries starring Princess Andre 'Princess told her mum that she needed to distance herself publicly and yet chats to her all the time behind closed doors. 'She will always love her mum but there is just a personal/professional divide right now, which is tough for Kate. 'Kate is really embarrassed. She even offered to give up her own time to film for the new show but got an email back saying her services weren't required. Kate is really embarrassed. She feels a bit like Brooklyn Beckham, with no one in the Andre family really speaking to her. 'She feels a bit like Brooklyn Beckham, with no one in the Andre family really speaking to her. 'Even Kate's mum, Amy, who cherishes Princess, has been dragged into it all. She is so heartbroken about what is going on.' The Prices were banned from attending Princess's 18th birthday party in June due to filming. Katie, meanwhile, got a bucket-load of online stick after accidentally sharing a happy birthday Instagram message 36 hours before the big day. 9 The new ITV2 series will feature Princess's older brother Junior, her dad Peter and his wife Emily Credit: Rex 9 The snub, says a friend, has crushed the mum of five Credit: Getty The new ITV2 series, which will feature Princess's older brother Junior and her dad Peter, begins on Sunday. It also stars Pete's second wife Emily, a doctor with whom he appears blissfully happy. For the past few months, cameras have followed Princess around as she launches her influencing career, having already signed money- spinning deals with brands including Morphe and Superdrug. 'INCREDIBLY ALIENATED' She has more than 1.5million followers on social media and a dedicated legion of young fans. In the fly-on-the-wall series, the teenager addresses the traumatic memories of her parents' divorce, admitting she grew up in her household knowing her parents 'didn't like each other'. After bosses turned down Katie's offer to appear in the show for free, they instead asked for historic YouTube archive material to use. Furious Kate's team staunchly refused. Another concern of the Price family is that Princess is being handed fame too easily. 9 Princess with Junior in new series Credit: ITV 9 Princess with mum and nan last year Credit: instagram/katieprice The friend adds: 'Katie had to graft for her celebrity, going to castings on foot and by bus, and hustling for every bit of success. In contrast, Princess is maybe being a bit molly-coddled. 'She has chauffeur-driven cars taking her to and from events, and a management team doing all the commercial deals and paperwork for her. 'Technically, Princess, who is an absolutely lovely girl and remarkably grounded given her privilege and famous parentage, is a nepo-baby. 'There would be no TV series without Katie, so Kate feels it's imperative she doesn't take fame for granted. 'In short, she would love to be there for her daughter and be allowed more of a say in her career. CHILDHOOD TRAUMA 'Personally they remain a constant in one another's lives, but professionally Kate feels incredibly alienated.' Princess is managed by her Aussie dad's management company, who previously represented Katie when the couple were together. However, when the Mysterious Girl singer and Katie, who met when they were both contestants on 2004's I'm A Celebrity, divorced in 2009 after four years of marriage, their management went with Team Andre. The couple famously had their own hit ITV2 reality show Katie & Peter from 2004. The second and final series gave a telling insight into their problems, with the couple bickering badly during filming. They split up acrimoniously not long after. Relations between Peter and his loyal managers on one side and Katie on the other have been fractious for years. Although the former couple are now on civil terms, WhatsApping about their two children, it is fair to suggest there is little love lost. It is a topic that gets explored on the new show, and Princess has been doing a round of PR interviews to promote the series. 9 David and Victoria Beckham with son Brooklyn Credit: Getty She has admitted to having therapy to help with some of her childhood trauma. In one interview she said: 'I do wish I could have had a happier childhood. 'In the sense of, like, I had so many things on my plate at a young age.' While acknowledging the 'good times' in her childhood, she opened up about her mum's bitter split from third husband Kieran Hayler when she was ten. She does, though, also speak of her love for both parents. Katie is currently dating Married At First star JJ Slater, a man who gets on well with all the family. Although publicly Princess and Katie are not allowed to be photographed together, privately, I'm told, they speak 'pretty much' every day. 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Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Katie Taylor's words to dad 'killed him' after dating woman younger than her
Pete Taylor claimed it 'killed' him when Katie Taylor cut ties after his marriage collapsed and he started a romance with a woman who was the same age as his daughter. The boxing trainer, who grew up in Leeds, had coached Katie all her life and led her to gold at the London Olympics in 2012. But when the legendary boxer discovered his father had split with his mother, Bridget, she made a painful decision. Speaking about losing contact with his eldest daughter, he said: 'Katie is really into her faith, I just remember her coming down to the boxing club – 'Da, I don't want you in the corner. I just don't want you in the corner.'' Katie's father added: 'Social media… I'm married now, married to Karen, and Karen is the same age as Katie, and everybody was saying, 'Pete Taylor's ran off with Katie's best friend.'' Pete clarified that his now wife Karen Brown, 35, knew of Katie, 39, because of her boxing achievements but did not know her personally. He also claimed on the Anything Goes With James English podcast that he considered this rumour an 'insult' to him, because it sounded like he could have 'groomed' her if he had known her since she was a child, which was not the case. Pete Taylor has since reconciled with his eldest daughter Katie (Image: ©INPHO/Gary Carr) Podcast host James then said it was 'ruthless' of Katie to cease talking to him, but Pete offered context. He said: 'Do you know what, I don't think it was ruthless, she has such morals, and such faith, and she thinks if you are married you should be together for life. She has some morals you know, it killed me now, but I had to respect it you know.' Katie later appeared in a documentary and said she felt like she was boxing with one arm after the split because all she had ever known was her father being in her corner. She later failed to retain her gold medal at the Olympics in Rio before turning professional, where she went on to become a multi-division world champion who starred in a thrilling trilogy with Amanda Serrano. And speaking about going years without talking to his daughter, Pete said: 'That was tough because we were like that you know. 'It was tough for both of us but that's life isn't it? But obviously because we were always together, it was a big thing in the newspapers. You would think I was the only person who ever split up a marriage in Ireland.' They are back on good terms after a turbulent few years (Image: ©INPHO/Gary Carr) And after the success of the Olympics in 2012, where Pete and Katie returned to a sensational homecoming, he claimed he was painted as the 'pure villain in Ireland' after Katie's shock quarter-final defeat in the Olympics in Rio four years later. Reemphasising his earlier point, he repeated: 'At the time, it was tough now in all fairness.' Despite a difficult few years, Katie and Pete reconciled, and he was even welcomed back ahead of her third fight with Serrano last month. And speaking before the world championship clash, she said: 'To be back training with him is huge for me, you can't mention my story without mentioning my dad.' Her manager, Brian Peters, added: 'It takes some doing just to get that relationship back, that takes work but it's beautiful to see it. Katie uses a great word – restoration.'
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Emotional Kerry Katona addresses age-gap relationship with new man & ‘real reason' she signed up for Celebs Go Dating
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Speaking exclusively to The Sun Kerry said: "I was adamant I was not interested, I just wanted the money, the paycheck, a bit of publicity and therapy. I was adamant I was not interested at all [in dating]." Kerry admitted she was cautious that her dates were only there for fame after they repeatedly used her full name and asked for selfies. "There was a lot of full naming, lots of dates where there were selfies and 'Kerry Katona', it's just not on, I can't be f****** asked," she said. "I just wasn't interested, I was in my 'do it on my own era'. "I think I had more chance with Jon [Lee] than I did with anybody else. "I think when you're on a date and you get called Kerry Katona... let's be honest I've been called worse. "The schedule was hard and full on. Being put on some s*** dates, that was really challenging, some of the dates I got put on, me and you Jon [Lee], I thought I was on the Undateables at one point." The TV favourite said she had her "walls" were high when she first started the process but admitted the agents were able to crack her. Kerry Katona shows off two stone weight loss in low cut minidress "I wasn't interested, I was adamant, my walls were so high, I think you'll see this journey... I'm going to get emotional," she said as she fought back tears during our chat. Opening up about dating younger men on the show, Kerry insisted that age really is just a number - with the star having an 11 year age-gap with her new man Paolo. Kerry joked: "I feel like 21, so who cares! "For me it's energy, it doesn't matter who you are - an age gap is an age gap, as long as you're happy and have that connection. "You could be with same person for the next 10 years and be miserable as anything, it doesn't matter." But with the agents advice, Kerry revealed there was a turning point for her during the process. She hit back at the stigma of women wanting to find love in their 40s and said she deserves her happily ever after. "I thought I was happy on my own and they made me realise that I was actually really lonely," an emotional Kerry told us. "I'm a very loving person and I think being in this industry and 'oh here we go again', I'm 44 does that mean I have to be on my own for the rest of my life, I want to share my life with somebody, I have a lot of love to give. "I want to come home to somebody for a kiss and a cuddle. "I might have been married before but I was 18 when I met my first husband, get over it. "Everyone has seen these lovely relationships, but mines been documented, it doesn't always work out but god loves a trier. "It's okay to not be ashamed to want to be in love and to be with somebody. "I was actually more bothered about what the public perception would think of me, but I want to share my life with somebody, I want to be with somebody." She added: "When you go into something like this, you really have to surrender yourself, you walk in for the deep chats and you think 'you've got this, you'll be fine', but they're so good at what they do, that you really end up thinking 'I didn't realise that about myself' and it's quite scary and it's quite surprising." It comes after The Sun revealed that Kerry has found love again after meeting her new boyfriend on the show. A source said: 'Kerry has bagged herself another toyboy - Paolo is 33 and Kerry is 44, but neither of them are bothered by the age-gap. "Kerry looks better than most women half her age at the moment, and is young at heart. "Paolo thinks she's super sexy and has told all his mates that he is the lucky one. "Meanwhile Kerry loves the fact that she has a younger man again." The source added: "Paolo's got an amazing body but he's also a sweet guy to boot. "He's a single dad to two girls, so he has his head screwed on and is responsible.' Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry signed up to the E4 show in February following her painful break-up with fiancé Ryan Mahoney. Kerry announced their split in November 2024 and told fans there had been "a breach of trust". The couple had been engaged for four years and Kerry had even said that he had "been like a dad" to her five kids - Molly, 21, Lilly-Sue, 20, Heidi, 16, Max, 14, and eight-year-old DJ." Sources said Kerry had hoped to "find a new connection" on Celebs Go Dating - and she has done just that. Last month, she was snapped having a cheeky snog with Paolo outside a hotel. In their first public outing together, they looked very happy as they hugged and kissed each other in the street. A source previously told us: "Kerry was heartbroken when she split from Ryan – it's taken her quite a while to get over what happened. "But she was approached to do the show and is always up for a new opportunity. "Bosses know she makes amazing telly and she's really hoping she finds a proper connection." Celebs Go Dating 2025 cast S Club 7 singer Jon Lee The Chase quizzer Mark Labbett Too Hot To Handle hunk Louis Russell Love Island All Stars contestant, Olivia Hawkins Singer Kerry Katona Made in Chelsea heartthrob Sam Prince QUIT - Christine McGuinness 5 Kerry said there was a big turning point in her Celebs Go Dating journey Credit: Matt Monfredi / Channel 4
