Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona has publicly criticised ex-Emmerdale actress Sammy Winward over a protracted family feud that has left Winward estranged from her pregnant daughter.
A Family Rift Sparked by OnlyFans
The sad fallout between Sammy Winward, her ex-footballer partner David Dunn, and their daughter Mia first came to light in August 2024. It is reported that Mia's parents cut contact with her after she decided to join the adult content subscription platform, OnlyFans.
This week, the situation took an emotional new turn when Mia, now 22, announced she is expecting her first child. She revealed the heartbreaking detail that she has not yet been able to share her pregnancy news with her parents due to the ongoing estrangement.
Kerry Katona Weighs In With Strong Opinion
Weighing in on the controversy, mum-of-five and OnlyFans creator Kerry Katona has expressed her dismay. Writing in her column for new! magazine, Katona stated she could never imagine severing communication with her own children over such a decision.
"I don’t think you should fallout with your child because they’re doing OnlyFans, life is too short," Katona wrote. "Everyone is doing OnlyFans and she’s not breaking the law. If one of my children were to do OnlyFans I’d be devastated but I’d never not talk to them."
Katona also pointed out what she sees as a contradiction in Sammy Winward's stance. She highlighted that many soap actresses, including Winward herself, have participated in glamour photoshoots in the past.
"All the Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks actresses all did sexy photoshoots at one point for FHM so there’s not much difference in that," Katona remarked. Sammy Winward, now 40, indeed posed for FHM during her time on the popular ITV soap and was ranked 73rd in the magazine's 'Sexiest Women in the World' list in 2006.
Pregnancy Brings New Hope and Heartache
Mia Winward, who has since stopped her work on OnlyFans, now lives a quieter life in the Lake District with her partner of one year. She told The Sun that her pregnancy has made her reflect deeply on the family rift.
"I am emotionally vulnerable while I’m pregnant and I really don’t want a big, stressful situation," Mia explained, adding that her parents do not currently know how to contact her.
She also hinted at a desire to eventually reconcile, especially in light of becoming a parent herself. "Now that I have my own baby inside me, I just couldn’t imagine not speaking to my child," she said. The feud reportedly reached a low point when her father, former Blackburn Rovers player David Dunn, used a derogatory term to describe her career choice.
As the public discussion continues, the situation underscores the complex personal conflicts that can arise from modern career paths in the digital age, with Kerry Katona's comments adding a prominent voice to the debate about family acceptance and the changing landscape of celebrity and content creation.
