Ex-Kitten star tells of pride at being mum

Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry McFadden said the proudest moment of her life was when she won Celebrity Mother of the Year, it was revealed today.

The 21-year-old, who is married to Westlife’s Bryan McFadden and has a nine-month-old daughter called Molly, has turned her hand to television presenting.

But, though she juggles the pressure of fame and a famous husband, she told the Sunday Express S magazine, the best thing in her life was her family.

When she won Celebrity Mother she said: ‘‘I was so proud. I love Molly so much. She’s a good baby but she gets tired and fights in her sleep.

‘‘She’s like her mum - worried in case she’s missing anything.’’

McFadden, formerly Kerry Katona, met Bryan when she was in girl band Atomic Kitten and he was touring with Westlife in 1999.

They became engaged after a whirlwind three week romance and married at Slane Castle, Co Meath, in January this year.

She said: ‘‘If you find the one, you don’t wait… We often stayed in the same hotels and started having a laugh together and getting to know each other as friends.

‘‘I thought he was a really nice guy, then he told me how much he liked me. We had our first kiss on 27 November when we were doing the Smash Hits tour.

‘‘Then we started going out and he proposed after three weeks. It was brilliant - so romantic.’’

Talking about marriage, she said: ‘‘The best thing about being married is knowing that you are going to be together forever.

‘‘This is my family now, and no one can take that away from me - it’s on paper.’’

Katona grew up in Warrington, in Cheshire, where she lived on and off with her mother Sue, who is a schizophrenic.

From ages 13 to 16, she was put into care, lived with four sets of foster parents and went to eight different schools.

Her determination to have a stable family was rocked by the allegation that Bryan slept with a lap dancer on his stag night - something he vehemently denies.

She said: ‘‘We are a family and when people go out and try to upset that bond I think it’s cruel and evil.

‘‘Doing what we do, this sort of thing happens. Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers.’

But she added: ‘‘I’m a tough cookie. I don’t have goals - I just get on with it. The money doesn’t bother me, it’s the recognition. It’s a great feeling to know you’ve done well.’’