PROSECUTORS have dropped a court case against singer Kerry Katona after she paid a fine for taking her children on holiday during term time.

East Sussex County Council took the 36-year-old to court accusing her of failing to make sure her daughters Molly, 15, and Lilly, 14, attended school.

The former Atomic Kitten band member was due to appear at Brighton Magistrates’ Court last month after failing to pay a fine when her eldest daughter by Westlife singer Brian McFadden did not turn up at Uplands Community College in Wadhurst.

Proceedings were due to continue in court yesterday but a council spokesman said the “outstanding payment” had been received so the case withdrawn.

Council solicitor Gareth Jones previously told the court: “Her lawyer phoned and asked if the case could be put off. She says she is planning on paying it.

“We are prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“There have been some concerns about the children’s attendance. This instance was for taking the children away for a week’s holiday.”

Magistrates heard Katona, who lives in Crowborough, was accused of taking the girls out of school from February 20 to 24.

The day before, the mother of five was pictured at Heathrow Airport in an emotional embrace with her children as she returned from Atomic Kitten’s reunion tour in Australia.

The former I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here! champion is going through a divorce from third husband George Kay.

They initially split in 2015 amid allegations he attacked her.

Kay, 36, was charged by Sussex Police with assault by beating and possessing a banned weapon – a Taser-style stun gun.

The ex-rugby player and boxer was due to stand trial last year but the charges were dropped after prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence and Katona withdrew her statement.

Less than a year later the pair were back together.

But this week she has spoken out about the breakdown of their relationship.

Rules introduced in September 2013 banned taking children on term-time holidays but allowed schools to make exceptions in “exceptional circumstances”.

Previously headteachers were able to make their own judgements on whether to permit holidays of up to ten days a year.

In April the Supreme Court drew a line under the legal wrangling over the fines and prosecutions for taking children on holiday during term time.

It came after the Isle of Wight Council appealed against a High Court ruling in favour of a father who refused to pay a £120 fine after taking his daughter out of school to go on holiday. The ban and fine were upheld. Deputy president of the Supreme Court Lady Hale said: "Any educational system expects people to keep the rules. Not to do so is unfair to those obedient parents who do keep the rules, whatever the costs or inconvenience to themselves."

Last May Brighton father Noah Myers failed in his High Court battle challenging the ban on term time holidays.