LOVE her or loathe her Kerry Katona’s decision to be the face of a payday loan company was not the smartest idea.

She’s supposed to have people to advise her – and clearly they were just thinking of her personal bank balance rather than the message it sends out.

Now the TV campaign for Cash Lady, fronted by the Padgate star, has been banned following complaints to The Advertising Standards Authority.

Hardly surprising. With Kerry’s well documented bankruptcy she was not the ideal role model to be held up as a finance expert.

Let’s face it, she’s not exactly known for being thrifty.

Now enjoying a return to her first love of music in the popular Big Reunion Tour – Kerry is loved by millions who look up to her and see her as a role model.

Clearly she had a horrific childhood to overcome which resulted in her going into care – and anyone who has read her first biography would have been astounded at some of the things her mum Sue introduced her to.

Drugs being one of them.

Remember mum Sue who supposedly had agoraphobia when it came to a court appearance for benefit fraud?

Then there are Kerry’s two broken marriages – one to Warrington’s Mark Croft which ended in animosity – and she has four children to bring up and she’s still only 32.

Not forgetting her well documented drugs problem – remember that disastrous appearance on This Morning when she was slurring her words?

So to be the face of this loan campaign encouraging people to run up debts they can ill afford when plenty of Warrington folk are struggling to make ends meet was a dreadful idea.

Borrowing money at a rate of 2,760 per cent interest would cripple anyone – regardless of income.

Hopefully she will be better advised on any future adverts – or perhaps Atomic Kitten’s revivial will keep her going for a while without having to put her name to illadvised ventures.

  • Popping into Golden Square at lunchtime last Tuesday the fire alarm sounded. I was in a shop at the time and although the shop assistants didn’t say anything, it was obvious we needed to evacuate.

But many people didn’t move and I heard one girl bemoaning the fact that she didn’t have time to buy her ‘wedges’.

Surely the people of this town more than any other, know how important it is to take any fire alarm seriously? Fire drill or real life, who are we to know whether it is a genuine emergency?

I felt sorry for the security staff doing their best to get hundreds of shoppers and staff out safely – they did a great job, no thanks to the many people who just didn’t want to be inconvenienced.