Kerry Katona and boyfriend Paolo Margaglione discuss their future together ten months after meeting on Celebs Go Dating
The old saying “when you know you know” feels particularly apt when speaking with Kerry Katona and her partner Paolo Margaglione.
The loved-up couple first crossed paths on Celebs Go Dating last year, and despite neither anticipating a genuine connection, their bond is unmistakable as we chat with them at their sprawling six-bedroom property in Prestbury, Cheshire.
Now ten months into their romance and utterly besotted, Kerry, 45, and Paolo, 34, are eagerly anticipating what lies ahead – potentially including a trip down the aisle.
“We will 100 per cent get married,” Kerry confirms, though both emphasise there’s no urgency. “I’m not just doing it for the sake of doing it,” Paolo explains, “We’re trying to build something really special together, so I want it to be the right moment.”
The couple share an amusing anecdote from Kerry’s recent hospital stay – where she received a colitis diagnosis – revealing how her affection for Paolo, combined with substantial pain medication, prompted an unexpected query.
Kerry and Paolo are happier than ever(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
The singer and the reality star finally has her spark back(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
“She was on gas and air and morphine in the hospital and I got a message off her saying, ‘What would you do if I proposed to you?'” Paolo recalls. “And he went, ‘Are you on morphine?'” Kerry adds.
Chuckling at the recollection, she elaborates, “I would never in a million years bend a knee down to a man and ask him to marry me.” Paolo shares this sentiment entirely. “I couldn’t accept it. It’s my duty to do that,” he states.
The adorable tale reveals just how smitten Kerry is with her beau, and the pair recently jetted off to Dubai for their inaugural Valentine’s Day retreat. However, a mere 14 hours into their holiday, Paolo was summoned back home due to a work crisis.
“We were both gutted,” admits Kerry. “But Valentine’s is just one day in a year and we can celebrate our love for one another every other day.” The E4 dating programme that united them last April isn’t exactly famed for its success stories, but Kerry and Paolo are bucking the trend, despite Kerry’s initial hesitation about letting love in.
“I was in a really good headspace and I could not imagine living with a man again,” she confesses. But after being paired up by the show’s resident experts Paul C Brunson, Anna Williamson and Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, their chemistry was undeniable, catching Kerry off guard.
Whilst viewers were treated to snippets of their budding romance on screen, the couple kept some aspects private – including the fact that their first televised kiss wasn’t their actual first smooch.
“You kissed me,” Paolo teases, to which Kerry retorts, “We kissed off camera – and you asked me for a kiss. Tell the truth!” In a playful bid to get Paolo to admit the truth, she continues, “Tell the truth, after our second date in the hotel, did you not ask me for a kiss?”.
Paolo sheepishly admits to his actions, but when Kerry recalls, “You went in for a kiss on our second date on camera and I wouldn’t give you one,” Paolo playfully retorts, “Did I?”.
“Oh yeah, you came right up for one,” Kerry maintains, leading to a shared bout of laughter. “This is our first domestic,” quips Paolo. Their love story quickly unfolded, and by the show’s finale, they had already confessed their feelings for each other. However, despite the potential for a television spectacle, Kerry resisted making a public declaration of love, even amidst pressure from the production team.
Kerry and Paolo met on Celebs Go Dating(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
The pair invited us into their home for a loved-up photoshoot(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
“They were so adamant for me to say it on camera to him,” she remembers. “I said, ‘Listen, you guys have taught me to protect my boundaries and this is my boundary. I do love Paolo, but I’m not going to say that on camera because that’s just for me and him, because I’m deadly serious about him. I’m giving my all to him and I wanna keep that just for me and him.'”.
A few weeks after filming concluded, they decided to elevate their relationship. Paolo put his Huddersfield home up for rent to move in with Kerry and her family.
As parents themselves – Paolo has daughters Milani, four, and Nola, two, whilst Kerry is mum to Molly, 24, Lilly-Sue, 23, Heidi, 18, Max, 17, and 11 year old Dylan-Jorge – their children have always been, and will continue to be, their top priority.
“Blending families can be challenging,” Paolo acknowledges. “You’ve got a lot to think about. The kids have their routine with Kerry and mine have their routine with me. But we’re in a really nice place with the kids.”
Paolo’s daughters visit the couple every weekend and all the children have developed strong bonds, with Kerry revealing that Paolo’s girls “idolise” her kids. Kerry’s children have also formed a connection with Paolo, whilst his daughters are devoted to Kerry, who made extraordinary efforts to transform their bedroom in the couple’s home into a welcoming space, decorating it despite medical advice to rest following her recent breast surgery.
“You did amazing,” Paolo praises. “Even though it’s tough for them, they have to adapt to it,” Kerry explains.
“So we’ve had to have those conversations where it’s like, ‘This isn’t fair, that’s not fair, it should be like this.’ We both have to be on the same page so the kids are happy.”
Paolo adds, “Obviously we have the kids between us. There are a lot of life stresses – we have a very normal relationship. It’s not like this big, magical Shrek-style fairy tale. Not that I’m Shrek!
“Are you calling me Princess Fiona?” Kerry laughs. Jokes aside, the work the couple did on themselves before getting together has helped lay a strong groundwork for their romance.
Kerry has been honest in the past about seeking therapy to help with her mental health, whilst Paolo shares that he’s had Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [CBT] “to better understand how you manage and deal with feelings and emotions”.
Kerry says, “We’ve really worked on ourselves. We’ve both had a lot of therapy. I think we’re really good at communicating in that respect.”
Kerry says her and Paolo’s priorities are their kids(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
Kerry and Paolo hit it off instantly(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
Even when discussing the hurdles they have overcome in the past, the pair remain upbeat. “A lot of the challenges we faced have been more external than internal,” Paolo explains, before joking, “And if they have been internal, it’s always my fault!”.
“Obviously,” Kerry says. “It’s outside noise more than anything. But the good thing is, when there’s outside noise, we support each other and deal with it together.”
Another key to their success is their shared take on the physical side of their relationship. “I love intimacy,” Kerry says as the pair look at each other and giggle, “I think it’s really important.”
Paolo replies, “It is important, but you only get that from the effort you put in, because it’s easy to lose.”
Kerry, who confesses to being “starved of affection” before Paolo entered her life, reveals, “I didn’t realise how starved I was, even from just conversing with someone.”
Her adoration for Paolo is unmistakable – when he momentarily steps out of the room, she gushes, “Told you – he’s amazing! This is forever and ever and ever for me.”
When asked what makes this relationship stand apart from her previous ones, Kerry responds instantly, “He doesn’t need anything from me. He’s successful in his own right. All he wants from me is my love and respect.”
Contrary to reports labelling Paolo as a personal trainer, he actually runs two family enterprises that keep him “very busy” – Ecobag, which produces bags from recycled materials, and Macromax, which manufactures cleaning products in both the UK and Turkey.
The couple want to be each other’s ‘equals’(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
The pair are happier than ever – and can’t wait for their fairytale wedding(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
Kerry’s enthusiasm, understandably, is tempered with a touch of wariness given her history of being wounded by past romances – which explains why the couple have taken their time before doing a joint interview. She confesses, “I am a little bit nervous. I don’t want to jinx what we’ve got because it always goes t*ts up for me.”
Yet simultaneously, Kerry insists this relationship is unlike anything she’s known before. She reveals, “I don’t think I’ve ever been in love before – ever. Like truly, truly ever been in love. I don’t know if it’s because I’m in a different stage of my life. I’m more settled with who I am.”
Kerry has taken unprecedented steps in this relationship, including setting up a joint bank account and sharing day-to-day expenses equally with her partner.
“I just want Kerry to feel that she’s got an equal,” Paolo explains. “It’s not about her bringing in the bread.” A significant income stream for Kerry comes from her OnlyFans account, which she intends to maintain well into her later years – “in her eighties”.
Paolo, much like her children, backs the endeavour and even assists with photographing her content.
“It’s not something most people agree with, but it was there before I came around and she’s done amazing from it,” he explains.
They’re considering having kids in the future(Image: Reach PLC / David Cummings)
Kerry admits she’s also willing to “double barrel” her surname once they eventually marry. When Paolo observes that Kerry Katona-Margaglione would be a “bloody mouthful”, she glances at him and responds playfully, “Well… it is!” – prompting both to erupt into fits of laughter. “You’re a nightmare,” Paolo remarks. “Interview over!”.
The couple have explored the possibility of adding another child to their family, with Paolo saying, “It would be lovely to have children of our own. Obviously there are a lot of moving factors in that Kerry is of an age where there are a lot more complications and I’d much rather have her for life than create a life. I’d never say no to more kids, but I’m more reserved than Kerry because I want her to be healthy and happy.” Kerry responds, “It could happen, nothing’s stopping it.”
There’s one thrilling scheme the couple are determined to bring to fruition this year: relocating overseas with their children. When questioned about where they envision themselves in 12 months’ time, Paolo responds, “Hopefully somewhere hot and sunny. The idea is, at some point, to potentially move away from the UK. It’s something I wanted to do and something Kerry’s wanted, too.”
Whilst they haven’t settled on a specific location yet, Kerry reveals with a glint in her eye, “We do have a plan.”
