Katona: 'Mum told me speed was sherbet'

Kerry Katona has revealed that her mother first gave her drugs when she was 14 years old.

The ex-Atomic Kitten singer told Heat that she is now drug-free for the first time since she was a teenager.

Katona said: "I'm off the drugs and have been for over a year. It's the first time I've been clean since I was 14, when my mum gave me speed and told me it was sherbet."

Asked if she is ever now temped to take illegal substances, she replied: "No, not ever. I have been offered drugs and I have said no.

"I've done enough for a lifetime. I've taken so many I should be dead. I will never take drugs again. I can guarantee you that."

Of her past actions under the influence of drugs, Katona said: "I'm absolutely mortified by my behaviour. I'm ashamed and embarrassed."

In the same interview, Katona claimed that her ex-husband Mark Croft enticed her into taking drugs while she was on bipolar medication and subjected her to mental abuse during their relationship.