From Love Island stint to a cancelled wedding & VERY bitter split… how Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon finally found love
ATOMIC Kitten star Liz McClarnon has revealed she is pregnant with her “miracle” first child after two decades of struggling to conceive.
Liz, 44, “couldn’t be happier” to be expecting a baby with husband Peter Cho, who she married in secret two years ago in the Lake District.
These days she prefers to keep her private life out of the limelight, rarely sharing pictures of her hubby.
For Liz it’s been a long and sometimes rocky road to her happy ever after, following a string of famous boyfriends back in her Atomic Kitten heyday.
In 2001 she cancelled her wedding to childhood sweetheart Tommy Hibbs.
The couple, who met when Liz was just 14, had been together for over four years when the pressure of her pop career took its toll on their romance.
Just before the split it looked like Liz and warehouse manager Tommy were in it for the long-haul as they planned to buy an apartment together in the docklands area of their home town, Liverpool, but sadly the relationship came to an end.
“We’d been together for a long time but being in the band has taken its toll,” said the singer at the time.
“Our schedule over the past few months has been unbelievable and it got to a point where I hardly saw Tommy at all, but we are still the best of friends.
“And, who knows, one day we’ll be able to sort this out. For now, I’m sad to say that we’re no longer together.”
There was more sadness to come for Liz as she lost her 18-year-old stepbrother in a car crash.
“Mark and I were close… I knew I could always count on him,” she wrote in her book Atomic Kitten: So Good So Far.
“When he was killed it was like having the heart torn out of me.” Liz admitted, adding she was “already going through a very emotionally disturbing time” post break-up.
“I thought I was losing it,” she revealed. “I felt really messed up.”
In March 2002, Liz began dating former Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard, but they split after nine months.
Liz went on to date Lee Ryan of boyband Blue, with their relationship being played out in the public eye given that they were both members of chart-topping groups.
They got engaged in 2003 after Lee proposed in an Oxford hotel, but called off their romance shortly afterwards, with Liz claiming she didn’t like dating a fellow celebrity.
Opening up about their decision to end things, Liz told Closer: ‘I’d never date another celebrity again.
“I was engaged to Lee and I didn’t like having our relationship in the spotlight.”
I was engaged to Lee and I didn’t like having our relationship in the spotlight
Liz McClarnon
But despite her vows to stay away from famous men, she went on to have an ill-fated romance with Westlife star Kian Egan shortly afterwards.
They had been friends for years on the music circuit, but got together at London nightclub Click.
But the relationship did not last long and Kian went on to launch a blistering attack on his ex.
The Irish singer said their fling was one of the biggest mistakes of his life, claiming she stalked him by phone.
The then 23-year-old star revealed: “It was so bizarre and I’ll never go back there. Liz is one strange cookie.”
At the time it was claimed Liz had dumped Kian, who reportedly became obsessed with the Liverpool-born singer and was desperate to win her back.
But furious Kian insisted that wasn’t the case and was determined to set the record straight.
Speaking to Now magazine, he said: “From the day we broke up I’ve never called her number in my life and believe me, she’s called mine.”
Kian claimed she had repeatedly phoned him for months but he would not take her calls.
He added: “It was splashed over the papers that I’d been pestering her and calling her when I was drunk, begging her to take me back.
“But it was quite the opposite. I was certainly not obsessed with her.”
It was splashed over the papers that I’d been pestering [Liz] and calling her when I was drunk, begging her to take me back. But it was quite the opposite. I was certainly not obsessed with her
Kian Egan
Liz laughed off his claims and went on to join the cast of the first ever series of Love Island in 2005.
She was latterly rumoured to have had a fling with lothario Calum Best, who was also on the series.
In 2007 she met Swansea City footballer Lee Trundle in a nightclub in their hometown of Liverpool.
The two also had something in common – they were both mad fans of Everton.
They moved in together and Liz boasted how Lee was the man of her dreams – and admitted his then six-year-old daughter Brooke had made her broody.
“She’s an absolute angel and I love her so much,” said Liz.
“I think I knew I was taken with the whole thing of Lee as a package when I’d been for lunch with my mum and my auntie and I realised that I really missed Brooke and wanted to call her. Then I realised that was it, I was done for!”
Despite their common ground, this relationship also faltered and they split the following year.
After Lee she went on to date her friend of 12 years – Harlequins rugby star Ryan O’Neill. The couple were together for two years from 2012 to 2014.
They had dated briefly when Liz was 20, but the pressure of being in the band yet again proved too much and they split.
Liz explained: “This time around we’re ready for it and it’s fab. We’re hoping to buy a house together in London.
I do want children, and love the idea of a fairytale – that we’ll end up together and get married
Liz McClarnon on Ryan O'Neill romance
“He’s a very beautiful, incredible person and he’s very special to me.
“I do want children, and love the idea of a fairytale – that we’ll end up together and get married.”
But their fairytale wedding wasn’t to be. Shortly after they split she said of potential motherhood: “I think I’ve been quite strong about not having babies with the wrong people.
“Some people think I haven’t had the chance but I made a conscious decision not to have children with the people I was with.”
Secret battle
But motherhood was not going to come easily to Liz, as she revealed to fans on social media this week when she announced her pregnancy.
Behind her smiles and confident stage performances, she was secretly going through a battle with infertility and underwent IVF to conceive.
During the video she said: ‘I’ve been keeping a secret from you, and I’ve mostly kept myself off social media because sometimes it was hard to smile.
“But after years of sometimes quite painful IVF and dark times, I’m pregnant! We feel like we’ve been given the world.”
She added: “I just can’t believe we’re here. So many have been through exactly what I went through and worse.
“I want to share what I can and add my voice and ears to those who already help others understand or deal with all that comes with IVF and loss after so much hope.”
I want to share what I can and add my voice and ears to those who already help others understand or deal with all that comes with IVF and loss after so much hope
Liz McClarnon
Her bandmate Natasha Hamilton was one of the first to congratulate her, writing: “Literally couldn’t be any happier for you both! After all you’ve been through, this little miracle is everything.”
Liz’s bundle of joy will be the 14th child born to the band’s stars.
Natasha, 42, has five children by five different dads. Son Josh, 22, with her bodyguard ex Fran Cosgrave; Harry, 20, with actor Gavin Hatcher; Alfie, 14, with ex-husband Riad Erraji; Ella, nine, with boyband star Ritchie Neville, and Kitty, 18 months, with husband Charles Gay.
Kerry Katona is also a mum of five, sharing kids Molly, 23, and Lilly Sue, 22, with first husband Brian McFadden; Heidi, 18, and Max, 17, with second husband Mark Croft, and youngest, DJ, 11, with late husband George Kay.
Jenny Frost has three children; eldest son Caspar, 17, with her ex-fiance Dominic Thrupp, and 12-year-old twin daughters Blake and Nico with her husband Vicente Spiteri.