Wednesday January 9, 2008

Kerry Katona has hit out at her mother-in-law, claiming: “I swear on my unborn child’s life that she hit me.”

The troubled star, who is expecting her fourth child in May, has been in the centre of a storm after the mother of her second husband Mark Croft claimed Kerry slapped her following a row.

Marilyn Croft has said that she hit her when she complained about people smoking over Kerry’s 11-month-old daughter Heidi at a New Year’s Eve Party.

But Kerry has denied the claims, insisting that Marilyn was the one who lashed out.

She said: “She just basically was having an argument with her partner. I went upstairs to make sure everything was okay, she got me in one room and said I was no daughter-in-law of hers and she hit me.

“I said ‘look it’s New Year’s Eve I don’t want to argue’.

“I swear on my unborn child’s life that she hit me. That’s God’s honest truth.”

Kerry added: “If she felt so strongly about me I don’t know why she came to the party in the first place.”

Kerry has previously admitted to having a cocaine addiction but now claims she has been totally clean for three years.

She said: “Apart from my bipolar medication, I’m free.”

In 2005 the former Atomic Kitten made similar claims but she was still on the white stuff. But this time she insisted it was different.

She said: “It doesn’t really matter what anyone else says or what they print, it’s a load of baloney. I know the truth so I’m not bothered.”

Kerry still goes to the Priory once a week to see a psychiatrist who helps her deal with her bipolar disorder.

Speaking of her decision to get help she said: “I had nobody to turn to because everyone around me was doing the cocaine, I was doing the cocaine with my own mother.

“So I had nobody to turn to to say I had a problem. My day was when I was in London and I had been on a binge with my mother and another friend and it just got to the point where I knew my children were coming home and I thought you know, what do I do, where to I go and I signed myself into the Priory.”

“Mark’s a great help. Since I’ve moved out of Warrington it’s been so much better for me. Because of course I was taking the cocaine, buying it for everyone, thinking this is great I’ve got loads of confidence back, of course this is when me and Bri (Brian McFadden) split up.

Kerry was speaking on TV show This Morning. Her composed appearance was a far cry from her recent outburst when she was interviewed on GMTV.

But as she discussed the stress of being hounded by the press it was revealed that a camera crew is currently following her for a programme.