Kerry Katona was tormented online so much by cruel trolls that she was left feeling "worthless".

Kerry Katona

Kerry Katona

The former Atomic Kitten singer feels "lucky" to have "come through" the tough period that followed the death of her estranged husband George Kay from an overdose last year because she can understand why her friend Caroline Flack - who took her own life earlier this month - couldn't see a way out.

She said: "When I was being trolled following the death of my husband George Kay, who had been abusive towards me, I felt worthless.

"I told my mum that my kids would be better off without me because the words of the bullies had got to me. I was lucky enough to come through it - Caroline was not."

The 39-year-old TV star - who has five children from previous relationships - also admitted she "wanted to die" following the backlash she experienced after her infamous 2008 appearance on 'This Morning', in which she was seen slurring during her interview.

Recalling the comments Caroline received after she was arrested for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, she wrote in New! magazine: "You couldn't turn on Twitter without seeing horrible remarks about her - it reminded me of the backlash I received after that infamous 'This Morning' incident.

"I was filmed slurring my words, thanks to my bipolar medication, and as a result I was labelled an alcoholic and a 'car crash'.

"Facebook was big back then and so many people were sharing horrible posts about me on there.

"Nobody knew, but because of that I felt so low I wanted to die. My psychiatrist told me, 'Be honest with the public about your previous drink problems, be open about your past drug issues - but do not let anyone know you have mental health issues. What they can't see, they can't understand.'"

Caroline reached out to Kerry for support in December, and the blonde beauty "really, really" tried to help her but was careful of sharing anything too upsetting.

She said: "I tried, I really, really did. And I was very careful with what I replied to her in those messages.

"I wanted to tell her I had felt suicidal, but I know that can be triggering, so I used the phrase 'nervous breakdown' instead."

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