Toe-curling second Kerry Katona and Atomic Kitten alternative Jenny Frost commerce blows in BBC’s Girlbands Forever documentary as outdated tensions resurface

Old tensions between Kerry Katona and her Atomic Kitten replacement Jenny Frost have resurfaced after the pair traded blows in a new BBC documentary. 

The rivals, who were both part of the hit band in the noughties, sat down to discuss the changing of the chart-topping group’s line-up in Girlbands Forever. 

Kerry, 45, left the group in 2001 after she fell pregnant with eldest daughter Molly McFadden, was replaced by Jenny, 47, later in the same year. 

The changeover came just months after the girlband topped the charts with their first number one single, Whole Again, which would be Kerry’s last single in the band. 

After Kerry left midway through the promotion of the single, Jenny re-recorded her spoken parts for the promotion, and it became an international success. 

The song hit number one in countries across the world, and sold a million copies in the UK alone and, the music video was re-filmed to include Jenny. 

Old tensions between Kerry Katona and her Atomic Kitten replacement Jenny Frost have resurfaced after the pair traded blows in a new BBC documentary

Kerry, 45, left the group in 2001 after she fell pregnant with eldest daughter Molly McFadden, was replaced by Jenny, 47, (pictured) later in the same year.

Speaking about the moment she was replaced in the BBC documentary, Kerry revealed: ‘I don’t know Jenny that well, I’ve nothing bad to say about Jenny because I don’t know her. But I wish her the best of luck.’

But not before she’d added a frosty blow towards the singer, adding: ‘I mean, she was handed it [the fame]. She was. You’re welcome.’

While Jenny threw a shady comment back towards Kerry, who fell pregnant with her first child during her relationship with Westlife’s Brian McFadden, saying: ‘I never felt bad for Kerry.  

‘She’d made a decision. She had chosen she wanted to be with Brian and have a baby, so that was her path. 

‘I went for it and it worked out. Maybe she regrets leaving the band, whether she admits it or not I don’t know.’

Kerry waved goodbye to Atomic Kitten just days before Whole Again was released, which followed the group’s poor performance from their debut album in 2000. 

The album went on to top the charts on its re-release with Kerry’s vocals re-recorded and replaced by Jenny.

They went on to gain further success with two more hit songs, The Tide Is High and Eternal Flame.  

The changeover came just months after the girlband topped the charts with their first number one single, Whole Again, which would be Kerry’s last single in the band

After Kerry left midway through the promotion of the single, Jenny re-recorded her spoken parts for the promotion, and it became an international success

Fans were shocked to see Kerry and Jenny opening up old wounds as part of the BBC documentary, which follows the stories of some of the world’s most successful girlbands. 

Taking to social media to react to the scene, fans took sides as they commented on the ‘shade’ being thrown between the pair. One wrote: ‘Kerry is the most likeable,’ while another hit back: ‘Jenny worked hard.’

Girlbands Forever takes a look at the mistreatment of singers in bands such as All Saints, Little Mix and Atomic Kitten – in a female take on last year’s BBC hit Boybands Forever. 

Among the most harrowing revelations from the docuseries comes from All Saints’ Melanie Blatt, who was urged to have an abortion after becoming pregnant during the band’s heyday.  

She revealed in 1998 that she was expecting her first child with former Jamiroquai bassist Stuart Zender, a year after All Saints topped charts internationally with their hit single, Never Ever. 

By coincidence, fellow bandmate Nicole Appleton had also just found out she was pregnant with boyfriend Robbie Williams‘s baby. 

However, after mounting pressure from their record label, Nicole opted to terminate her pregnancy.

Pregnancy was a cause of contention for many girlband stars, with Atomic Kitten’s Natasha confessing she was ‘terrified’ when she found out she was expecting her first child because she thought she’d be dropped from the band. 

The girlband hit the big time after Kerry left the band

Yet Natasha kept working until the last possible minute, welcoming son Josh with ex-boyfriend Fran Cosgrave in August 2002, the same month they released their number one single, The Tide Is High.   

Five months later the group were sent off on a promotional tour of East Asia, meaning Natasha was millions of miles away from home.   

Breaking down in tears, Natasha revealed: ‘I was on stage and I was moving, there was nothing there. I couldn’t wait to get off stage every night.’ 

Admitting that’s what sparked her decision to quit the group, she concluded: ‘No one wants their career to end in such a pile of s**t but for me it did. 

‘The girls weren’t ready to give Atomic Kitten up, deep down I didn’t want to. We were on the cusp of greatness and financial stability forever but I couldn’t see any way out of it.’ 

Girlbands Forever is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.