Kerry Katona 'unable to stand' due to agony of suspected endometriosis

Kerry Katona has revealed she believes she is suffering from endometriosis as she battles crippling back pain.

The 39-year-old Atomic Kitten star and mother-of-five - has made several hospital visits and undergone a series of tests after being left in so much agony she could hardly move.

Katona revealed in her New! magazine column: "You may have seen me out and about looking very uncomfortable - it's because I'm still in such awful pain with my back. I can barely stand up straight. I'm sick of crying about it, but it's really restricting me.

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"I'm going to a clinic later this month to see a gynae specialist, but early indications suggest it's endometriosis, which can take years to diagnose."

She added: "The pain is stopping me from doing housework, and when the housework starts building up it affects my mental health."

Endometriosis is a condition where the cells which usually grow on the inside of the uterus during the menstrual cycle, grow on the outside instead, causing lower back pain and infertlity.

The reality TV star shared a picture of herself on Instagram undergoing tests in hospital last month.

She revealed she "initially thought it was a bad case of kidney stones," but that was ruled out by doctors.

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Katona has five children, Molly, 18, and Lilly-Sue, 16, from her marriage to Westlife’s Brian McFadden, Heidi, 12, and Max, 11, with second husband Mark Croft and Dylan-Jorge, five, with her late third husband George Kay.

She is now dating Ryan Mahoney who she revealed has been looking after her at home while she rests her back.

Katona is due to star as the wicked witch in a panto porduction of Sleeping Beauty in Ilford next month.