EXCLUSIVE: As she jets off to Ibiza to film Celebs Go Dating, a source claims that Kerry Katona is feeling confident and eager to dip her toe in the dating pool following her split last year from fiance Ryan

Kerry is ‘really excited’ to be doing Celebs Go Dating again

As Kerry Katona gets stuck into filming for the new season of Celebs Go Dating, which is set to hit our screens this summer, it seems revenge may be on the menu – as well as romance. The mum-of-five is looking fit and fabulous as she begins her search for love and a source has claimed to OK! that the 44-year-old is relishing the prospect of dating after splitting up with her ex-fiancé Ryan Mahoney late last year.

“Kerry is really excited about doing the show. She’s looking forward to the prospect of meeting someone new,” claimed the source. Kerry has lost 2st recently, publicly sharing how she has dropped down to a dress size 6, and the source says this has boosted her confidence. “She’s looking her best and feeling her best. She has lost weight and feels like she’s a new woman,” they claim. ”She finally feels like she’s in a good place and she has got a revenge body to go with it.”

This year’s CGD line-up – before Christine McGuinness dropped out last week(Image: Channel 4)

While Kerry may be feeling good, the source claimed she’s also nervous about dating again after coming out of a long-term relationship. “This is all new for Kerry,” the source said. “She was with Ryan for a long time and their break-up was a time of agony for her, so there is a part of her that’s naturally a bit scared. She is vulnerable and has had some really tough times, but the best revenge when you’ve been through heartache is to get back out there with your head held high.”

Kerry was with fitness trainer Ryan for six years before they split up in November, with Ryan moving out of their Cheshire home. At the time, Kerry cited a “breach of trust” as the reason for their break-up, explaining, “I never in a million years thought this would happen. Without going into too much detail, there has been a breach of trust between us.”

Following the split, she admitted to being “heartbroken” and said it was a struggle to move on from Ryan. “He was my best friend so I’m adjusting to not having him around,” she said. “It feels a bit like a death, which I know may sound dramatic but it’s mourning all the things you did together.”

But Kerry has found a new lease of life while navigating 2025 as a single woman. She’s been spending time travelling solo to Thailand and says she’s learned to love herself more.

Kerry has found a new lease of life and is looking better than ever

“It’s been a healing journey about spirituality and finding yourself,” she said of her Thailand trips. “This is exactly what I needed and it’s shown me that I can do everything I want by myself. I don’t need anyone else.” Kerry recently said in her weekly new column that her initial devastation about breaking up with Ryan now feels like a distant memory.

“It’s made me realise that splitting up with Ryan was the best thing to happen to me,” she said. “I’m over that chapter of my life and when I think about him, there’s nothing romantic there any more.” Kerry’s love life has been a rollercoaster over the years, with her relationships often playing out in the public eye.

She was married to Westlife singer Brian McFadden from 2002 until 2006 and they are parents to Molly, 23, and Lilly, 22. She tied the knot with Mark Croft a year after her divorce from Brian and they have Heidi, 18, and Max, 17, together. Kerry became a parent to her youngest daughter DJ, 11, in 2014 with her then husband George Kay, who died in 2019.

The former Atomic Kitten star seems to be bouncing back after her split from Ryan

“It’s no secret that Kerry has been through some really difficult times in the past, and it’s never easy dating again,” said our source. But she will be guided in her quest for love by dating experts Anna Williamson, Paul C Brunson and Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn as she films the show in Ibiza alongside Love Island’s Olivia Hawkins, S Club singer Jon Lee and Too Hot To Handle star Louis Russell. Christine McGuinness was also due to take part, but announced last week that she’s withdrawn from the show.

Kerry has admitted that it’s difficult being away from her children while filming Celebs Go Dating. As Kerry revealed in her exclusive column, “I’ve been away from home a lot since I was in Thailand and I’ve been on the phone to the kids every day. Filming is pretty full-on and I had a panic attack the other night because all the emotions were piling up.”

But despite the upset of being away from home, she’s excited about her second stint with the dating agency. “I’ve done the show once before, but this feels really new and fresh,” she said “I’m really excited to be doing it.”

The source added, “Kerry is doing this because she genuinely wants to find someone. She is feeling quite exposed, but she’s excited at the same time.”