Kerry Katona has turned to drugs to blot out the pain of her failing marriage to Mark Croft, it has emerged.

According to a pal, the former Atomic Kitten star is snorting life-threatening mounds of cocaine everyday, reports the News of the World.

The pal said that the mother of four young children star also binges on amphetamines and anti-depressants.

And their destructive relationship has taken her to the brink of suicide as well, the pal added.

Katona told friends: “Cocaine is the only way I can function. It’s the only way I can get this sorted.”

A pal said: “Kerry is completely addicted to drugs. It is worse than ever and she is close to the edge. She takes them all day every day. She simply can’t cope without her fix.”

Katona, previously outed as a cocaine-user by her own mother Sue, claimed that she has been clean of drugs since she recovered from her split with former husband Brian McFadden, the father of her eldest children Molly, seven, and Lilly-Sue, six.

However, friends have revealed she has been dependent on cocaine since June last year following the death of her stepdad Arnie Ferrier.

One said: “When he died it really affected her and she turned to drugs then. It’s tragic. Kerry doesn’t have an off button.”

Pals revealed Katona’s cocaine intake rocketed earlier this month after a confrontation with Croft about her financial situation.