Former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona has been fined £500 after failing to send one of her children to school.
The I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! winner pleaded guilty after, at its lowest point, her child’s attendance fell to just 48 per cent.
Ms Katona had been expected to represent herself but did not appear in court, with a solicitor entering a guilty plea on her behalf at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
The court heard that Ms Katona, of Crowborough, East Sussex, failed to send one of her five children to school between April and November last year.
It is the second time the 38-year-old has been convicted of such an offence.
Prosecutor Gareth Jones, representing East Sussex County Council, told the court that, at the lowest point, the child's attendance was 48 per cent.
He said of Ms Katona: "There's a failure to engage here. She's not attending meetings. Letters are not being responded to.
"This is a problem that has gone on for some time."
Ed Fish, defending, said some of the unauthorised absences were because Ms Katona could not get childcare while she was working.
On other occasions she had not told the school the child - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was ill.
He said: "She understands it fell below what was expected of her.
"On occasions (the child) missed school due to Kerry Katona's work commitments. She's not had childcare and has to take the children to work.
"She understands she should maintain better contact with the school.
"The attendance has not been the worst (the court has seen)."
Katona was previously warned that she could be sent to jail when she failed to attend an earlier court hearing.
She had written to the court asking for an adjournment because she was taking part in a "paid event" in Scotland.
The court heard that Katona's financial situation was "not great" and she had been subject to bankruptcy but she was "anxious" to provide for her children.
Katona was given 14 days to pay the fine as well as £325 in costs and a £100 surcharge.
Magistrates had initially handed her a fine of £1,000 but were forced to halve this after protestations from lawyers that this was the maximum penalty for the offence and they had not taken her guilty plea into account.
Additional reporting by Press Association
