A former pop singer found herself on the receiving end of public scrutiny when she revealed who took her racy photos. After the unexpected admission, she got blasted by critics.
Kerry Katona, an English television personality and former pop singer, received backlash after revealing who took some of the images for her OnlyFans account. Katona, a founding member of the pop girl group “Atomic Kitten,” has been featured on numerous reality television shows, including I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing on Ice, Celebs on the Farm, and her own MTV UK specials about her life.
After declaring bankruptcy in 2008 and again in 2013, the mother of five created an OnlyFans account. She admitted that her “boob pics” paid her bills. “I had to sell [a jukebox] for £1,900 to pay the rent, and I thought, do you know what let’s get my tits out. I used to do it, so why not again? And it was the best thing I ever did,” she said.
“I came to the conclusion that God had given me two amazing assets in my boobs and I had better use them,” Katana added. The English TV personality claimed to have made “hundreds of thousands of pounds” via OnlyFans, which contains a variety of celebrity profiles. Katona says her newfound admirers enjoy what she’s doing and don’t hesitate to tell her so.
Katona’s Onlyfans followers, for example, were quick to compliment her after she posted a snap from the site in which she posed in her underwear. She went on to explain why she doesn’t think she’s doing anything wrong. “Mums have as much right to show off their bodies as anyone else. I can do what I like with my body, as it belongs to me,” she said.
In 2021, the former pop star confessed that she enlisted her then 13-year-old daughter Heidi to snap racy photos of the mom to post online. “My children know I do it and Heidi even takes some of the pictures of me for the site,” she declared. Katona did admit she was concerned that her children would experience “grief” as a result of her decision to post sexual photographs of herself online.
However, Katona justified posting racy pics in the public domain by claiming that her five kids would face the same pressure regardless of what she decided to do to make money. “I do worry about my children getting grief, but they’d also get it if I gave it all up and became a lollipop lady… I’m Kerry Katona at the end of the day,” she said. “My kids are fine with it. They’re loving the money!”
Katona claimed that the money and personal empowerment she receives from the pay-to-view website have helped her become a better mother. “I say to [my children], ‘What’s the difference between me getting [photographed by the paparazzi] topless on a beach or going topless on a site I’m in control of?'” she said.
However, people took issue with Katona’s decision to use her teenage daughter as her OnlyFans photographer, with one critic posting that they reported her to child protective services. “What she’s doing is illegal. Getting a 13-year-old vulnerable girl to take pictures to post on a pay-to-view site. Social Services have been informed. They need to urgently knock on her door. Unacceptable behavior,” the critic said.
Another detractor posted, “When these so-called ‘celebrities’ find [they’re] down on their luck they are willing to do almost anything to make the same kind of money as they were when they were in their early 20s!! If she hadn’t used so much coke years ago she wouldn’t need her young daughter to take ‘seedy’ photos for her!” Yet another commenter claimed, “It’s amazing the behavior people can justify when there’s money involved.”
Nevertheless, Kerry Katona believes the financial gains that come from her OnlyFans account outweigh the bad effects when it comes to her children. “It’s changed my life financially and it’s made me feel empowered,” she said. “[My children] are resilient and open-minded and I’ve taught them that other people’s opinions don’t matter. A lot of it boils down to jealousy. You don’t see the other kids’ mums pulling up in a big Range Rover!”