Kerry Katona makes surgery U-turn as she cancels facelift - 'My kids begged me not to go through with it'

Kerry Katona vowed to kick off 2025 with a makeover and had booked a lower facelift at a UK clinic - despite those who had urged her not to go under the knife again. However, Kerry - who last year had a corrective nose op - reveals she has curbed plans to have more surgery and cancelled the procedure after her children begged her not to go through with it.

“I just don’t think now is the right time anymore,” says Kerry during an exclusive interview. “My eldest three girls really didn’t want me to do it, they were begging me not to and said ‘Mum, please don’t.’” The 44-year-old shares eldest daughters Molly, 23, and Lilly-Sue, 22, with her first husband Brian McFadden, Heidi, 17, and Max, 16, with second husband Mark Croft and youngest, DJ, 10, with her late husband, George Kay, who passed away in 2019.

It was the input from her children that put her off the operation, which she previously said she was “excited” for. “I do go off of what my kids think and I knew they didn’t want me to so that massively impacted my decision,” she says. “They don’t think I need it yet and they know how tough the recovery will be, so they really didn’t want me to do it.”

READ MORE: Josie Gibson turns 40 - how she turned childhood tragedy into her proudest achievement

READ MORE: Nick Knowles gets kiss from bikini-clad fiancée on holiday as he recovers from knee surgery

Earlier this month, Kerry revealed she had booked in for the lower facelift at Pall Mall Medical. She wrote in her magazine column, “I feel I’m at that age where I can get tweaks done If I want to. I know people can be judgemental, but at the end of the day it’s my face and my body so it’s not really anyone else’s business. I can’t wait to see the results!”

The surgery, which Kerry would have been recovering from now if she went ahead with it, was set to be her third in 12 months. She had an eye lift in January 2024 and a nose operation to rebuild damage caused by historical drug use four months later. However, this means that Kerry knows all too well how tough recovery can be, and she’s not quite ready to face the challenge again.

“My nose recovery was the most horrendous thing,” she says. “It’s tough emotionally while recovering because you look so different and it’s hard to get your head around. I had to get it done medically and it wasn’t just a vanity choice, but It was really hard. I did get a bit scared, I don’t think I’m ready to do something else now.”

She adds, “The reason I like surgery is because I get looked after so well by the nurses at Pall Mall Medical, where I get my procedures done. I don’t get looked after like that at home, so it’s nice. But I don’t think I’ve got time for a recovery period right now, especially when everything is so busy!”

Instead of the facelift, Kerry has chosen to go for some non-surgical tweaks. “I’ve had some Botox this week and I’m going to get some invisible filler, both of which are non-surgical options. I think it’s good to remember there are alternatives to surgery. I am 44, so I’m definitely entitled to tweaks here and there and I have no shame in that.

Kerry’s social media has been flooded with fans asking the star not to go ahead with the facelift, something which she says she has tried not to pay too much attention to and didn’t play a part in her decision.

“They don’t impact me and it’s more about how me and my family feel,” she says. “When you get to my age you’re entitled to make changes and it’s not anyone else’s business.”

Despite Kerry’s decision to take a step back from the surgeon’s table for now, she says it’s not something she’s written off completely.

“I’ve just pushed it back a year or two. I will get it done at some point and the kids know that. I already know I want to go to Pall Mall, and get it done eventually. They’re the only place I trust.”

Last year, Kerry split from her partner of six years, Ryan Mahoney. Admitting there was a ‘breach of trust’ that occurred at the time, Kerry was left heartbroken and dreading Christmas without the fitness trainer, who had been a stepfather to her brood.

At the time, she explained, “We are no longer together and it’s been a really tough week – I never in a million years thought this would happen. Without going into too much detail, there’s been a breach of trust between us. I don’t know if we’ll be able to work it out or not, but I do still love him so much.”

But now, having moved on from heartbreak, Kerry says she’s feeling better than ever before - something which has also contributed to cancelling her surgery.

“I’ve lost weight recently and I’m feeling really good. I’m moving on with my life and I feel really confident - I don’t think I need to make major changes at the moment,” she says.

We think you look great, Kerry!