High society makeover for Kerry in TV show
Ex-Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona is getting a My Fair Lady makeover for a new TV show.
She has to pass herself off as a member of high society in the Faking It-style programme and will take lessons in deportment, etiquette and elocution in a bid to disguise her working-class roots.
And she has just two weeks to complete the transformation in the ITV1 show My Fair Kerry.
Because Kerry is so well known in Britain the show will be filmed in Austria.
The 24-year-old from Warrington, who recently split from husband Brian McFadden, will move in with an aristocratic family who will help with her makeover.
After two weeks she will be introduced to the cream of Austrian society and pretend to be a member of the English upper classes.
Mother-of-two Kerry said: “I’m a down-to-earth Northerner and proud of it. I admit that my table manners and Ps and Qs aren’t up to scratch and that I burp in public.
“I really wanted to do this show because it’s different to anything I’ve ever faced. I can’t imagine how they are going to transform me – it’s not going to be easy but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Kerry was voted Queen of the Jungle on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! but thinks this show may be even tougher.
She said: “My friends and family are really supportive and think the programme is a great idea – but they also reckon it could be a harder challenge than going to the jungle. This is a new year and a new start for me.”
Kerry was heartbroken when she split from former Westlife star Brian after three years of marriage.
She has been admitted to the Priory clinic for depression and lost two stones in weight since the break-up.
Brian has now gone public about his relationship with Australian star Delta Goodrem.
He told this week’s Heat magazine: “She’s my girlfriend but it’s early days. She’s just an amazing person. She makes me very happy.”
My Fair Kerry, to be screened later this year, will be Kerry’s first work project since the split.
Executive producer Layla Sabih said: “The British public love Kerry for who she is. The programme is an experiment to see whether it’s possible to create a real life My Fair Lady giving her the airs and graces of an aristocrat without taking away the essence of the person she is.
“Kerry will swap juggling life as a young mum and TV presenter for two intensive weeks of grooming during which time her every move will be scrutinised as she lives and breathes the life of a high society princess.”
