Kerry Katona has opened up on her feelings of anxiety lately and the struggles she faced when at the funeral of boxing legend Ricky Hatton. On October 10, thousands lined the streets to pay tribute to Ricky Hatton as he was laid to rest in an emotional service at Manchester Cathedral.
The former boxer transcended his sport and his impact was laid bare with how his home city of Manchester came to a standstill to pay their respects to his legacy after his death aged 46. Members of the boxing community united to show their support.
Frank Bruno, Tony Bellew, Tyson Fury, Amir Khan and Barry McGuigan were among the many in attendance at the funeral service as they said a final goodbye to Hatton. But it wasn’t just boxing stars who bonded with Hatton as household names in Britain such as Wayne Rooney, Coleen Rooney and Liam Gallagher were in attendance at the service.
Kerry, who was friends with Hatton, wrote in her New! Magazine column: “Last week, I was planning on going to Ricky Hatton’s funeral to say goodbye to him, but if I’m being honest, funerals give me massive anxiety.
“I found myself getting really stressed before it and did try to go, but when I arrived there were so many people that I ended up not going inside.”
The former Atomic Kitten singer added: “Instead, I decided to say goodbye in my own way. Ricky was an amazing man and he’ll be so missed by so many people, including me and my family.”
At the time of his death, Kerry said: “I was devastated when I heard about Ricky Hatton’s death, it really shook me up. He was a great friend.”
She added: “Literally have no words absolutely devastated and heartbroken rest in peace my friend keep reading our last texts and the banter and just that feeling of helplessness”, as she shared photos of the two together, including one of the two hugging each other.
Kerry has always been open about her struggles with anxiety. In a video shared last month, she apologised to followers after leaving the stage early in one of her shows with Katie Price. She said: “I’m so sorry for walking off stage last night after having a severe anxiety attack.”
Earlier this year, Kerry was pictured sparring in the ring with former boxer Hatton to help promote her friend Anthony Fowler’s CBD oil company. Hatton, a previous Fighter of the Year in 2015, was planning a return to the ring with a fight planned in December.