Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special star Brian McFadden’s love life and past relationships is as colourful as the dance floor.
While his romantic tendency is a little more stable now, having tied the knot with PE teacher Danielle Parkinson back in July, it wasn’t always that way. He’s had a total of three wives, one fiancée, and three children from two different mothers.
Naturally, as a former Westlife star, Brian McFadden’s relationships have been under a lot of scrutiny by the press. That being said, the rollercoaster has slowed down a little in recent years.
Read on to learn more about the crooner’s romantic history: from the very beginning up until the present day.
Brian McFadden’s high-profile relationships – Marriage to Kerry Katona
Kerry and Brian started a relationship in 1999 (Credit: Splash News)
Brian’s first wife — and first public relationship — was with Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona. The pair met in 1999, and tied the knot three years later. They then grew their family as they welcomed two children: Molly in 2001 and Lily-Sue in 2003. A mere year after Lily-Sue’s birth, Brian and Kerry filed for divorce, which was finalised in 2006.
Allegedly, the relationship broke down because Brian cheated on Kerry during his stag do — and even paid the other woman £15,000 to stay quiet.
“I only found out after we got married,” Kerry claimed to Paul Brunon on his podcast We Need To Talk. “The girl he had cheated on me with was a lap dancer and he had made her sign an NDA and paid her 15 grand to keep her mouth shut.
“But she still told the papers anyway. It was never the same after that with me and Brian.” She continued: “I think he must have had doubts… then I started to resent him.”
In the interview, Kerry also claimed that their relationship began to sour after she won I’m A Celebrity… in 2024. “It used to be Brian’s world not mine, so it all changed,” she said.
“I think he actually left Westlife because I became more famous and wanted to do it by himself and become as big.”
Brian has alluded to his behaviour in the past. “The day my marriage ended was on the stag night,” he told Reveal magazine (via Heart). “That was the time I felt this is not supposed to be.”
However, on the whole, he has been a lot less forthcoming about his relationship with Kerry. He even refused to speak about her in the 2024 BBC documentary Boybands Forever.
He then got engaged to Delta Goodrem
Brian got engaged to Aussie singer Delta (Credit: Splash News)
After splitting from Kerry, Brian started dating Neighbours star and singer Delta Goodrem. The pair stayed together for around seven years, even getting engaged before they split in 2011.
That same year, Delta spoke to Vogue Australia about the relationship — and she didn’t hold back. “There is so much I’d like to say,” she said, adding that she was “really unhappy” and “didn’t know how to get out”.
“I learnt. I got there in the end.
“Do I wish that it ended earlier? Yes. Do I wish I had the courage to leave earlier? Yes, I do.”
In response to these candid comments, Brian made his feelings clear in a now-deleted X post. “I’m not considering legal action,” he said, rubbishing press claims at the time. “I also wouldn’t stoop as low as her. If I did, it would change everything. But I’m happy!”
Brian McFadden’s ’embarrassing’ divorce from Vogue Williams
Vogue has since called their divorce ’embarrassing’ (Credit: Splash News
Just a year later, Brian married I’m A Celebrity… 2025 star Vogue Williams. They separated in 2015, and while it seemed amicable at the time, the pair have taken shots at each other in the press since.
In her autobiography Big Mouth, Vogue opened up about her wedding premonition.
“The morning of the wedding I felt very stressed and so anxious because deep down I knew I had made a mistake,” she wrote.
“After the wedding, I tried to make things work. The relationship wasn’t all terrible, we did have some great times too, and for the most part he was good fun to be around. But he was not husband material.”
She added: “It was me who called it in the end. I couldn’t keep trying, it felt pointless… I’m not here to throw anyone under the bus but there are things that went on in our relationship that will never be forgiven.”
On her podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, Vogue dubbed the marriage and divorce “embarrassing”.
“I got married and divorced really young and I found that painfully embarrassing, because it was just like such an epic failure and it was so public,” she said.
“Now I look back and I’m like, do you know what, no it’s not! It was a learning curve, but again, no one died, who cares? It’s nice to be able to look back and have that feeling about even that situation, and I just can’t imagine anything would embarrass me so much now.”
Meanwhile, in a 2017 OK! magazine shoot (via The Daily Mail), Brian said trying to be friends with Vogue was “pointless”.
“It’s very difficult to remain friends unless you’ve got children,” he said. “I think it’s pointless as it’s going to get in the way of you having a future with other people.” Subsequently, Brian said Vogue ghosted him when he texted her wishing her luck for going on The Jump. Awkward.
This time around, Brian chose someone who isn’t in the spotlight, as he struck up a relationship with PE teacher Danielle Parkinson. The pair were first spotted kissing in 2016, and it wasn’t long until they were Instagram official. Brian proposed to Danielle in December 2019. They got hitched in July 2025.
It looks like Brian, in turn, couldn’t be happier about the relationship. Back in 2019, he gushed to The Express: “I don’t hide away my personal life. Me and Danielle have a wonderful life together and I don’t mind talking about it, but I don’t put it out there or put it in people’s faces. You have to have some part of your life for private or else you just have nothing for yourself.”
Meanwhile, in a 2020 interview with OK! Brian shared how he meant to propose on Christmas Day — but ended up doing it at a post-gig party.
“After the gig, I’d booked the penthouse suite at our hotel and arranged a party up there,” he said.” That’s when I said to Danielle’s mum and dad: ‘I’m not doing it now, I’ll just do it on Christmas morning with the ring.’ But I wanted all her family and friends to be there so I thought, [bleep] it, I’ll do it now!”
And baby makes three
Brian and Danielle struggled to conceive. On this, Brian told OK: “It’s made us stronger and brought us closer together. I love everything about Dani. She’s easy to fall in love with. She’s a sweetheart. I tell you, that child is going to be spoilt rotten when it’s born.”
Danielle added: “We’ve had our tough times, but I’m very lucky. Brian is the first person to love me for me.”
Following two miscarriages and a failed IVF attempt, the pair welcomed Ruby Jean via IVF in 2021.
Watch Brian on the Strictly Christmas Special on Christmas Day at 5.30pm on BBC One.
