Kerry Katona ‘Reluctant to Go Public’ with New Love – But Can’t Hide Her Smile in Ibiza
Kerry Katona has a new man in her life, but the former Atomic Kitten star is treading carefully. After years of very public romances – and heartbreaks, the 44-year-old singer is keeping things low-key with her new boyfriend, personal trainer Paolo Margaglione.
The pair were spotted hand-in-hand during a sun-soaked getaway to Ibiza, their first public outing together. The photos confirmed what insiders had been hinting, the couple are “smitten”, but Kerry is “nervous about putting yet another relationship in the public eye,” reports OK! magazine.
Paolo, 33, a father of two, is believed to have met Kerry while filming the latest series of Celebs Go Dating, set to hit TV screens next week. The chemistry clearly sparked during filming, and the pair have remained together since wrapping up the show earlier this summer.
This new romance comes after a rollercoaster love life for Kerry. She was first married to Westlife star Brian McFadden, with whom she shares daughters Molly and Lilly.a
After they split in 2004, she wed taxi driver Mark Croft, welcoming Heidi and Max before divorcing in 2010. Tragedy struck in 2019 when her third husband, George Kay, father to her youngest daughter, DJ, passed away, two years after their separation.
Her most recent relationship was with personal trainer Ryan Mahoney, who proposed in 2020 but never made it down the aisle. The couple called it quits in November 2024, ending a four-year engagement.
Kerry admitted she joined Celebs Go Dating for “money, publicity and therapy” but found herself unexpectedly falling for Paolo.
She’s no longer “ashamed” to seek love again after recognising she was “lonely,” telling The Sun: “I might have been married before but I was 18 when I met my first husband, get over it.”
She’s also brushed off criticism about dating younger men: “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.”
Sources close to the star say her split from Ryan left her devastated, but she grabbed the chance to appear on the E4 dating show, determined to “find a new connection.” The gamble seems to have paid off – last month she was spotted sharing a cheeky kiss with Paolo outside a hotel.
One insider revealed: “Bosses know she makes amazing telly and she’s really hoping she finds a proper connection.”
For now, Kerry Katona might be cautious about flaunting her new romance, but her Ibiza smile suggests she’s ready to take another chance on love.
