OVER the years, Kerry Katona's bubbly and friendly nature has won over the affection of many Britons, and gained her a dedicated fan base.

The Padgate pop princess took a break from the limelight in 2001 after three years of success with Atomic Kitten.

She left the band to start a family with, now, ex-husband Bryan McFadden, of Westlife fame. She gave birth a few months later to a healthy baby girl.

It was the pop wedding of the year when Bryan and Kerry exchanged vows in January 2002. Despite some troubles in the relationship involving revelations about lap dancers, the couple put their problems behind them and celebrated the birth of their second daughter in 2003.

Refusing to be a stay-at-home mum, Kerry's career went from strength to strength, as the ex-Atomic Kitten star was seen to be presenting anything from Loose Women to Toy of the Year as well as taking to the stage for the first time.

Warrington starlet, Kerry, was crowed Queen of the Jungle in the 2004 TV series of I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here! Never a girl to forget her roots, she donated her winnings to the Shannon Bradshaw Trust which was set up after a girl from Great Sankey died of aplastic anaemia.

Kerry sadly split Bryan towards the end of 2004.

She was voted Celebrity Mum of the Year again in 2005 after previously winning the award in 2002 and her biography, Kerry - Story of a Survivor, was published in 2005.

The bestseller discussed her life so far, including her childhood, which was far from idyllic and partly spent in foster care.