Kerry Katona’s daughter says she is barred from marriage for life after her famous parents’ several divorces.
Lilly McFadden, 20, admits in her very first interview exclusively to MailOnline that her mother’s divorce from her father Brian, one of her three husbands, has taught her marriage is worthless.
She says ex-Westlife star Brian, who has also been divorced twice, first with Kerry and then model Vogue Williams, is further proof that “people change and can grow without their partner.”
In an interview with MailOnline, Lilly talked about the negative side of having famous parents — with “people trying to hate the family” at the height of Kerry’s fame — as well as her “beautiful” blended family and the fact that she’s a ” nepo baby’ is.
When asked what she learned most from her parents, Lilly replied, “Don’t get married! Personally, I am not a ‘wedding girl’. I never have been and it’s not a reflection of my mother, it’s a bit of an inside joke.
Kerry Katona’s daughter says she was barred from marriage for life after her parents’ divorce
Lilly McFadden admits her mother divorced her father. Brian, one of her three husbands, has learned that her marriage sucks
Lilly says she dreams of a party wedding and presents, but she believes a marriage is just a “piece of paper that is legally binding”
“I want a wedding because I want to wear a big dress and all the presents, but I went to law school at university, and it may sound very cynical, but it’s just a legal contract.
“I’ve always found it strange that in order to prove your love for someone you have to sign a piece of paper that is legally binding. For me, I just have to trust them to stay.”
She added: ‘We never stop growing and unfortunately some people grow apart and that’s the reality of life so why would I want to pay all the divorce lawyers and go through that?
“I just want my future relationships to be healthy and as we grow and change… why make it harder? I want a wedding, but not marriage.’
Lilly was born when Kerry, 42, and Brian, 43, were at the height of their pop fame, playing in the bands Atomic Kitten and Westlife respectively.
She admits there are huge upsides to her parents being famous, but also a lot of down sides – with hateful people calling her pop star mom, who now makes money from podcasting, and OnlyFans, mean names.
Lilly said, “We were so blessed because we had great experiences…I’ll never forget when they closed Peppa Pig World so we could all go there. But there are drawbacks.
‘People always have something to say, and nothing is secret, life is an open book, that sort of thing… but I have a thick skin.
Lilly was born when parents Kerry and Brian were at the height of their pop fame and they played in the bands Atomic Kitten and Westlife respectively (pictured in 2001)
In addition to reminiscing about the positives of growing up with famous parents, such as a private visit to Peppa Pig World, Lilly says there are “negatives” as well, but luckily she has “thick skin”
Lilly says people have been just as unkind as to call her mom a “s**g,” but jokes that their words don’t mean anything because she can “cry about it in the Lamborghini!”
‘It never really bothered me because people say to me, “Your mom is ass**g” or something like that, and I say, “Yeah, fair game… we’re going to cry about it in the Lamborghini!” “
“Growing up with a big family was so beautiful, we moved around a lot and had very different lives and people tried to hate us, but when you have a family like ours, it’s just such a strong and loving system.”
Kerry and Brian married in 2002 and separated just four years later, but during their time together they had daughters, Lilly and Molly, 21.
Kerry has had three more children in other relationships: Heidi, 16, Max, 14, with second husband Mark Croft, and DJ, eight, with third husband George Kay, who died in 2019.
She is now engaged to fiancé Ryan Mahoney and plans to run away to Las Vegas.
Brian, who still tours with the band Westlife, welcomed a daughter Ruby in 2021 with fiancé Danielle Parkinson.
Lilly is proud to be associated with her younger siblings and says there’s nothing better than being part of a “blended family.”
She explained, “People call Max, Heidi and DJ my ‘half-siblings’ but I just find that so odd because as far as I’m concerned they’re my full siblings.
‘I would never distinguish Max, Heidi or DJ from Molly… we are all the same.
Kerry’s daughter says growing up in a blended family was ‘beautiful’ and despite outsiders trying to ‘hate’ them, their unity was never affected by others’ opinions
Having previously been married three times, Kerry now plans to marry fiance Ryan Mahoney in Las Vegas
“I’ve met people who say I have two sisters and a half-brother, and I never imagined turning around and calling them my half-siblings, but it’s different when you have the same mom and grew up all the way.
“I love that we have such a big family, and it’s so wonderful.
‘Me and Molly also have our own family in Ireland, but they treat my siblings like family too.
“It’s also great to have stepdads, I love Ryan, he’s so good to us, my mum has a huge family in Liverpool too.
“It never gets boring and when I’m away with my mom I can go to one of my many siblings or one of her siblings.” It’s endless fun.’
She added: “People get divorced and then they are expected to be miserable and alone for the rest of their lives… I love Ryan’s family and Danielle’s.
“People are so judgmental about it, but I believe there’s nothing better than a blended family. It’s so much fun.
‘You learn different things, like the way my family lives in Ireland is completely different from my family in England. I’m a mix of both and that’s so great and I’m proud to wear that, I really do.’
Despite having famous parents, Lilly has never wanted to live off their names like other “fake babies.”
Lilly has appeared in reality TV shows along with her mother, namely Celebrity Ghost Trip in 2021, as well as starring in Pantomime, also working at SpecSavers and as a support worker
Despite being approached for Love Island, Lilly says the ITV2 show isn’t for her as she’s more of a ‘beer drinker’ than Prosecco
She spent several years working as a support worker at a care home for young adults with learning disabilities, as a store clerk at SpecSavers, and as a barista.
Lilly explained, “There is a negative connotation around fake babies. It’s absolutely true, technically I’m a fake baby because I come from two rich parents who are famous, which has given me more opportunities, but there’s nothing wrong with that.
“I’m a completely different person from my parents and that’s the truth. I worked hard in jobs that paid me a lot of money and I worked many hours.
“I’ve made a name for myself in my own work, but at the same time I have opportunities that other people wouldn’t have if I didn’t have famous parents. You just have to be self-aware. It’s not fair, of course it’s not fair, but such is life.’
Lilly has appeared in reality TV shows along with her mother namely Celebrity Ghost Trip in 2021 and also starred in Panto.
Her good looks, ties to her parents and the fact that she’s single have sparked rumors that she could enroll in Love Island, but Lily admits the ITV2 show doesn’t really suit her.
She explained: ‘I like a pint, I’m not a wine drinker, I like a beer and my mum always says I’m such a dude. I go to the pub to watch football and have a pint.
‘I would never say never… but I don’t think it really suits me. If they could swap the glass of Prosecco for a pint of San Miguel I probably would!
‘Perhaps it will be me in a few years. I’m constantly growing and changing, but at the moment I’m not really in my place yet.’
