Overview
- Katona fell ill during her eldest daughter’s London play and noticed her smile and speech change as the day went on.
- Hospital staff treated the episode as a suspected stroke and transferred her by ambulance from St Thomas’ to King’s College Hospital with lights and sirens.
- CT scans later ruled out a stroke and, according to Katona’s account, indicated a stress-related problem disrupting signals to facial muscles.
- She says one side of her face remains tight and her speech sounds off to her ear, and she plans to start speech therapy and facial exercises.
- After the scare she flew to Spain and has delayed follow‑up checks, and the incident follows miscarriages in 2025 and a January 2026 colitis diagnosis.