Kerry Katona confessed she was still heartbroken over Brian McFadden despite being in a new relationship.
The former Atomic Kitten says she started dating too soon after their marriage crumbled back in 2004.
It was meant to be the pop match made in heaven after they had met on the Smash Hits tour in 1999, but things never really worked out the way they dreamed it.
Kerry sent her love to Rachel Stevens in her latest OK! Magazine column.
The S Club 7 star revealed she isn't ready to get back onto the dating scene just yet since parting from her husband Alex Bourne in July last year.
Kerry thinks she is doing the right thing by taking her time before hunting for love again.
"Rachel Stevens has said she’s not ready to start dating again after splitting from her husband and I know from experience that you do need time on your own before finding love again," the singer wrote.
"It’s so important to have that space to work on yourself. Rachel needs time to heal and it will be a massive adjustment for her children, too."
Kerry shares daughters Molly, 21, and Lilly, 20, with Westlife star Brian.
She was also previously married to Mark Croft, the father to her children Heidi, 16, and Max, 14, and the late George Kay, who was dad to eight-year-old daughter DJ.
She added: "The one mistake I made after splitting from Brian was jumping straight into a relationship.
"I was still heartbroken and I thought it would fix me, but it never works that way. It’s a difficult thing to go through and I wish Rachel all the best."
Rachel, 44, opened up on her painful marriage split and says they will "remain partners in parenthood to our beautiful girls" Amelie, 11, and eight year old Minnie.
"I feel so incredibly grateful for the life we built together and will now continue to be focused on moving forward united as a family," they said.
Rachel told The Sun: "It’s very hard to articulate the feelings, because there are so many. It’s been really painful, really sad.
"But no, I’m not ready to start dating. I’ve got enough going on for now.
"But I love love. I’m the soppiest person. We should be happy to be in love and deserve all the great things in life."
Irish star Brian said that after joining Westlife aged 19, he had only ever kissed one other woman before meeting Kerry.
He said that her falling in love with him was "overwhelming" and that he felt that he needed to act upon this without really considering the long-term implications of being betrothed to each other.
Speaking to the Independent in 2007, Brian said: "I was very young when I met her and no one ever loved me before. So when Kerry came along and wanted me, that gap was filled and I felt good simply because I had someone to share everything with.
"I never stopped to think, 'You really should get to know this person before you have kids, think of marrying or settle down.'
"So then, when we had the first baby, bought a house, spent time together and Westlife became the same thing over and over, I woke up one morning and realised, 'This is not what I want to do with my life, I don't see myself being with this woman in 20 years, she's not who I'm meant to be with, we don't have anything in common.'"
