Kerry Katona said she is "very happy" with boyfriend Paolo Margaglione after meeting the personal trainer on the Channel 4 series Celebs Go Dating.
The 45-year-old former Atomic Kitten singer told an audience on the opening night of her tour with Katie Price in Fleetwood that she had not felt like this before. Katona and the 33-year-old Margaglione met when filming for the show began in April, and an episode that aired last week featured Katona introducing him to her 18-year-old daughter, Heidi. The couple have reportedly moved in together two months after meeting and Katona has previously described their sex life as "unbelievable."
Katona made the comments while appearing with Price at the Marine Hall, where the pair spoke to about 250 fans. Their stage show included frank discussion of relationships, explicit humour, references to Katona's past drug use and mental health, and occasional swearing. The evening also featured lighter moments: the audience sang "Happy Birthday" to Katona, who turned 45, and a card was passed around for fans to sign. The two former I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here contestants said they had eaten crickets while recounting their time on the ITV reality series.
Price, who arrived with boyfriend JJ Slater, 32, displayed noticeable weight loss and a sore-looking injury at the corner of her right eye. Price told the audience she is experiencing peri-menopause and joked that her "eggs are ****ed," adding that she still wants more children and that there are other ways to carry babies. Price has undergone several cosmetic procedures and the pair's tour is scheduled to visit theatres in Lincoln, Oldham and Burnley before finishing in Hull in late October.
Katona rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the pop group Atomic Kitten and has had a high-profile and at times turbulent private life. Her relationships have included two divorces. Her 2011 split from Mark Croft followed allegations of cheating on both sides and disputes over finances; Katona later said that drug use had been a factor in that marriage and admitted to a period of drug addiction.
Katona and Price have a long and fluctuating friendship. Katona was one of Price's bridesmaids when Price married Peter Andre in 2005. The pair fell out in 2007 after public accusations exchanged between them, and their relationship saw further recriminations and reconciliations in subsequent years. Both women have at times publicly apologised or acknowledged past mistakes, and they reunited as friends on the current tour.
Celebs Go Dating has in past seasons brought together celebrities and professional matchmakers in filmed dating sessions; producers began filming the series featuring Katona and Margaglione in April. The episode in which Katona introduced Margaglione to her daughter aired last week, according to programme timelines, and media reports say the pair's relationship progressed rapidly after they met.
During the Fleetwood appearance, the pair answered questions, took part in games and shared anecdotes from their careers in the public eye. Fans paid about £25 for tickets to hear the stories. The tour continues to other regional venues this month and into October, where Katona and Price will perform similar shows recounting their experiences in entertainment and reality television.