Katona: 'I thought I'd be dead by now'

Kerry Katona has admitted that she feared she would not live for another 12 months at the height of her problems last year.

The 30-year-old, who impressed the judges and viewers during her first skate on Dancing On Ice last night, told Reveal magazine that she felt "sick" thinking about the position she had been in.

"This time last year I thought I'd be dead by now," she said. "I think how grotesque I was - physically and mentally. I feel a bit sick now about how I let myself go."

However, Katona confessed that, while she is no longer taking drugs, she has not banned herself from having a drink of alcohol.

"I think I'd go insane if I did," she said, but she insisted that she does now drink in moderation.

On her weight loss, she added: "Exercise made me realise what a mess I'd got myself into. Look at where I was last year and where I am now. I've had four kids and my body isn't perfect but I feel brilliant.

"You have to be careful. My kids are very young and I don't want them obsessed with weight."

DS