05 June 2023 , 16:54
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Kerry Katona has lashed out at ITV over their alleged lack of aftercare following her infamous appearance on This Morning in 2008.
The mum-of-three, 42, has also accused the channel of "protecting Phillip Schofield but not Caroline Flack".
Tragic Love Island host Caroline was just 40 years old when she took her own life in 2020.
Kerry suggested that it feels like "one rule for one, one rule for someone else" and claims that "no one reached out" to her following her interview with Phillip and Fern Britton.
During the 2008 chat, Phillip accused Kerry of "slurring" her words, sparking suggestions that she was drunk. She later clarified that she had been on medication for her Bipolar.
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Following Phillip's abrupt departure from This Morning and then ITV entirely following his confession regarding an affair with a younger male colleague, Kerry spoke about her own experience with Phil and the channel.
Phillip Schofield and Fern Britton presented This Morning together for seven years (ITV)Speaking to new magazine, she has claimed that the lack of aftercare left her feeling suicidal.
While she said that she has since "kissed and made up" with Phil and that she wasn't there to "slag him off", she continued: "The thing that bothers me and angers me the most is that ITV didn’t protect Caroline Flack, but have protected Phil for so long. It feels like one rule for one, and one rule for someone else.
"After my interview, no one at ITV reached out to me and asked me if I was OK. It seemed like they just couldn’t wait to see the headlines and the ratings. Nobody asked me if I needed a doctor or any help.”
Following the interview, Kerry recalled getting a taxi back home and wondering what happened. When she pulled up at her house, she was shocked by a "swarm of camera crews, reporters, and photographers".
She described the situation as "upsetting" and admitted she didn't know how she got through it.
"I feel so passionate about how Caroline [who died by suicide in 2020] was treated by ITV because that could have so easily been me. If I didn’t have my children, I wouldn’t be here," she added.
Kerry also claimed that ITV don't really work for her and that she "doesn't know why", but suggested: "I think that if you don’t comply with their rules, they don’t want you. I’m a very open and honest person, and that’s what people want to see. [Viewers] don’t want perfect people living so-called perfect lives."
Kerry claimed that she felt "on edge" and "judged" at ITV.
The Mirror has reached out to ITV for comment.
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