Kerry Katona and her boyfriend Paolo Margaglione returned home from their holiday to Spain on Saturday.
The singer, 45, who has been dating personal trainer Paolo, 33, since they met on the set of Celebs Go Dating, enjoyed a sun-soaked yacht trip in Marbella on Thursday as she was seen for the first time since being rushed to hospital over a suspected stroke.
The lovebirds were later joined by birthday boy Maxwell, who was celebrating turning 18, and Kerry's daughter daughter Heidi, 19, both of whom she shares with second husband Mark Croft.
But following the trip, Kerry and Paolo touched down at Manchester Airport on Saturday, with the Atomic Kitten star keeping it casual in a grey tracksuit.
She seemed in good spirits as she smiled and pulled faces at fans at the airport.
Kerry's Spain trip came just one day after she revealed she was left fearing for her life after suffering a suspected stroke.
Kerry Katona and her boyfriend Paolo Margaglione returned home from their holiday to Spain on Saturday
She seemed in good spirits as she smiled and pulled faces at fans at the airport
She admitted she has 'never been so scared' after her daughter Heidi, 19, noticed she couldn't smile properly while they were watching her eldest daughter Molly, 24, in a London play.
Kerry revealed midway through the performance she noticed her lack of facial movement when she took a trip to the bathroom.
Speaking for the first time about the terrifying health scare, Kerry told The Mirror: 'Heidi was like, "Mum, what's wrong with your face?" I started panicking. I discreetly left, went to my hotel and asked to see a doctor. I told the staff, "Something's not right".'
The hotel told Kerry a doctor wouldn't be able to see her for four hours and so she took a taxi to St Thomas' Hospital.
She said: 'I got there, and they said, "We're treating this as a stroke," so they blue-lit me in an ambulance from St Thomas' to King's College Hospital. They were shining lights in my eyes while my face and speech were getting worse.
'An hour ago I was watching our Molly in a play and now I’m being treated for a stroke. What the actual fk? It just shows how quickly things can change.'
A stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is cut off (ischemic) or a blood vessel bursts (hemorrhagic), depriving brain cells of oxygen and causing them to die.
It requires immediate emergency medical attention to prevent permanent damage or death.
The singer, 45, who has been dating personal trainer Paolo, 33, since they met on the set of Celebs Go Dating, enjoyed a sun-soaked yacht trip in Marbella
Following the trip, Kerry and Paolo touched down at Manchester Airport on Saturday, with the Atomic Kitten star keeping it casual in a grey tracksuit
Enjoying a yacht trip, Kerry was seen for the first time since being rushed to hospital over a suspected stroke
Kerry's Spain trip came just one day after she revealed she was left fearing for her life after suffering a suspected stroke
Petrified, Kerry messaged all of her children - Molly, Lilly, 23, Heidi, 19, Max, 18, and Dylan-Jorge, 12 - fearing she may never be able to speak to them again.
She added: 'It really, really scared me. I texted all my children and told them I loved them. I've never been so scared in my life.'
Kerry had to undergo tests and CT scans to try and find out why her speech had become slurred and her facial muscles had stopped working properly.
Doctors ruled out a stroke, but Kerry said the CT scans showed 'there's a part of my brain that's broken and isn't able to send signals to my face due to stress.'
She said she has noticed her speech sounds different to what it sounds like in her head and she gets shooting pains in her head.
Kerry said she is planning on getting speech therapy and doing facial exercises, with doctors telling her the movement and speech will come back.
However, she said she's 'getting a bit panicky with it'.
THE CAUSES OF STROKE
There are two major kinds of stroke:
- ISCHEMIC STROKE
An ischemic stroke - which accounts for 80 per cent of strokes - occurs when there is a blockage in a blood vessel that prevents blood from reaching part of the brain. - HEMORRHAGIC STROKE
The more rare, a hemorrhagic stroke, occurs when a blood vessel bursts, flooding part of the brain with too much blood while depriving other areas of adequate blood supply.
It can be the result of an AVM, or arteriovenous malformation (an abnormal cluster of blood vessels), in the brain.
Thirty percent of subarachnoid hemorrhage sufferers die before reaching the hospital. A further 25 per cent die within 24 hours. And 40 per cent of survivors die within a week.
RISK FACTORS
Age, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, family history, and history of a previous stroke or TIA (a mini stroke) are all risk factors for having a stroke.
SYMPTOMS OF A STROKE
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
OUTCOMES
Of the roughly three out of four people who survive a stroke, many will have life-long disabilities.
This includes difficulty walking, communicating, eating, and completing everyday tasks or chores.
TREATMENT
Both are potentially fatal, and patients require surgery or a drug called tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) within three hours to save them.