ATOMIC KITTEN - FORMER POPSTAR KERRY KATONA DECLARED BANKRUPT

FORMER POPSTAR KERRY KATONA DECLARED BANKRUPT

Ex-Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona has been declared bankrupt at the high court.

The former popstar was handed the bankruptcy order after failing to pay the remaining £82,000 of a £417,000 tax bill.

The 27-year-old's legal team had been granted an extra order to pay the debt on Thursday but were unable to come up with the final balance.

Katona's representative Luke Harris had asked the registrar to put the matter - which was issued against his client in January - back further, explaining that funds were available but cheques needed to clear.

However, Mr Registrar Nicholls called the parties back to court just after 13:00 BST and said he was "not in a position to assist further".

Katona, a mother-of-four, left Atomic Kitten in 2001 and went on to win I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2004.

She was awarded substantial damages in July this year after a newspaper claimed she had worked as a prostitute prior to finding fame

A story published on Sunday June 22nd - entitled Kerry's Mother Dishes the Dirt in Explosive New Book - had claimed Katona's mother intended to release a book including the claims.

But the tabloid has since printed a prominent apology and admitted that the claim was "entirely false".