Morning:
14°c
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
It's a boy for Kerry Katona - who arrived five weeks early
Last updated at 14:15pm on 18.04.08Reality TV star Kerry Katona has given birth to a baby boy.
Maxwell Croft was born at 5.42pm Friday, five weeks early, and weighed 5lbs 4oz.
Katona's spokesman said: "Mummy and baby are doing well and the family are very excited about their latest addition.
"Kerry would like to thank all the staff at the Macclesfield District General Hospital for the fantastic care she received."
Scroll down for more ...
Kerry Katona with husband Mark Croft. Her pregnancy was an eventful one with a number of health scares
Kerry said: "He's absolutely fine, he's beautiful. We can't wait to get him home. It's a beautiful boy to go with our three girls."
Husband Mark Croft was at the hospital for the new arrival, who has been named after publicist Max Clifford.
Max Clifford told the Daily Mirror, "Mum and baby are really well. It was a natural birth. Everything was fine.
"It's been a scary time, a real rollercoaster, but now everything is great. I imagine she will stay in for checks but will hopefully be home soon."
He added, "I am very proud that Max was named after me. I think the world of Kerry. She's almost like another daughter to me."
The former Atomic Kitten singer has been in hospital since Wednesday when her waters broke, and doctors had given her medication to try to halt contractions.
But the decision was taken to induce labour.
The pregnancy has been an eventful one, with fears just after Easter that she was suffering from pre-eclampsia, a condition which causes high blood pressure.
However, this was later discovered to be water retention and very low iron levels.
Scroll down for more...
Macclesfield District General Hospital in Cheshire where Kerry gave birth to her fourth child
The 27-year-old was believed to be in the middle of filming the final episodes of her controversial MTV fly-on-the-wall show, Crazy In Love, when her contractions began on Wednesday night.
The drama was thought to have been caught on camera even though she had reportedly decided to pull out of the show.
The couple already knew the baby was a boy and had planned to call him Max.
Her pregnancy has been plagued with health concerns and rumours of drug-taking and drinking, allegations which she has denied.
The couple, of Warrington, Cheshire, are already parents to one-year-old Heidi. Kerry is also has two girls with ex-Westlife star Brian McFadden - Molly, six, and Lilly-Sue, five.
Scroll down for more...
The couple have been filming a reality show for MTV, but the Kerry reportedly quit the show amid health concerns
Related articles
- Pregnant Kerry Katona keeps the alcohol flowing on reality show
- Kerry Katona leaves hospital after pregnancy scare
- Pregnant Kerry Katona admitted to hospital over fears she has 'dangerous illness'
- 'I'm clean,' says Kerry Katona as she publishes drug test to prove she's cocaine-free
- Desperate Kerry Katona 'only got pregnant to save her marriage'
Reader views (2)
Let's just hope that there's nothing wrong with him supposing the rumours about her drinking and taking cocaine while she was pregnant were true! Poor kid hasn't got a lot going for him with a mother like that!
- Hannah, Essex, UK
Poor little child. I do hope that Cheshire social services are keeping a close eye...
- Helen, London, UK
