# Megan McKenna
**Megan McKenna** is an English television personality and country-pop singer who first became widely known through the reality shows *Ex on the Beach*, *Celebrity Big Brother*, and *The Only Way Is Essex*, and later built a music career that included topping the iTunes chart and winning the first series of *[The X Factor: Celebrity](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-x-factor-celebrity)*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992 in Barking, east London; raised in Essex[1](https://cultureobserver.uk/blog/megan-mckenna-biography-career-relationships/) • [2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) |
| First TV appearance | Britain's Got Talent, 2009, reaching the live semi-finals as part of the duo Harmony[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) |
| Reality TV breakthrough | MTV's *Ex on the Beach*, first appearing on screen in August 2015[3](https://www.anfieldcentral.co.uk/from-towie-to-nashville-how-megan-mckenna-built-a-multi-million-pound-net-worth/) |
| Chart peak | Both of her September 2017 singles beat Taylor Swift to the top of the iTunes chart; debut single "High Heeled Shoes" reached number 43 in the UK singles chart[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2017/sep/08/reality-star-megan-mckenna-taylor-swift-only-way-essex) • [2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) |
| Own series | *There's Something About Megan*, a 3 x 60-minute ITVBe series by Lime Pictures filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, in summer 2017[5](https://www.limepictures.com/show/theres-something-about-megan/) |
| Competition win | First winner of *The X Factor: Celebrity*, 30 November 2019, with a recording contract as the prize[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) |
| Musical style | Country-pop; she has cited Dolly Parton as her musical hero[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-mckenna-mn0003662564) • [2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) |
## Early life and television career
McKenna attended theater school as a teenager, paid for by her grandparents, and made her first television appearance in 2009 on *Britain's Got Talent*, where she reached the live semi-finals as part of the duo Harmony.[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) • [7](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/megan-mckenna-41409.php) In her autobiography *Mouthy* she wrote that she was bullied at school.[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/)
**Reality television.** Her break came in August 2015 as a cast member of MTV's *Ex on the Beach*, filmed in Mexico. She has said the opportunity was unplanned: she was working in an estate agents at the time, and after the show she was cast on *Big Brother* and then *The Only Way Is Essex*, while her mother worried the reality route could damage her singing career.[3](https://www.anfieldcentral.co.uk/from-towie-to-nashville-how-megan-mckenna-built-a-multi-million-pound-net-worth/) • [8](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/megan-mckenna-i-never-planned-to-be-a-reality-tv-star-singing-has-always-been-my-passion) Her stint on *The Only Way Is Essex* cemented her public profile.[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/)
Her *Celebrity Big Brother* appearance in 2016 was eventful: she received a formal warning for using aggressive and threatening behavior toward housemates after what *The Guardian* described as an "epic rant" directed at the actor [John Partridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-partridge-actor), and she was later the fourth person evicted from the house.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2017/sep/08/reality-star-megan-mckenna-taylor-swift-only-way-essex) • [2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) She later appeared on *Celebs Go Dating*, *Celebs on the Farm*, and a string of panel and celebrity shows including *Celebrity Masterchef*, *Celebrity Juice*, and *Loose Women*.[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) • [9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/megan-mckenna/credits/3060441391/)
## Music career
McKenna has said that singing, particularly country music, was always her ambition, and that reality television was never the route she had planned.[8](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/megan-mckenna-i-never-planned-to-be-a-reality-tv-star-singing-has-always-been-my-passion) In 2017, while still starring in *The Only Way Is Essex*, she left the cast to pursue music.[10](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/megan-mckenna-x-factor-celebrity-age-boyfriend/)
**Nashville and the iTunes chart.** In summer 2017, Lime Pictures and ITVBe filmed her in a three-part series, *There's Something About Megan*, which followed her attempt to break into the American country music industry in [Nashville, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/nashville-tennessee), where, as the production company put it, not a soul had heard of her and she had to start at the bottom.[5](https://www.limepictures.com/show/theres-something-about-megan/) The singles released from the show dropped as the series concluded, and both beat [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift) to the top of the iTunes chart; *The Guardian* suggested the country material suited her better than the electro-pop then favored by reality TV stars.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2017/sep/08/reality-star-megan-mckenna-taylor-swift-only-way-essex) Her debut single, the country-flavored "High Heeled Shoes", was released in September 2017 and reached number 43 in the UK singles chart.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-mckenna-mn0003662564) • [2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) Sources differ slightly on the follow-up's title: AllMusic lists "Far Cry from Home", while other profiles give "Far Cry from Love"; both were said to have charted in the UK Top 100.[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-mckenna-mn0003662564) • [1](https://cultureobserver.uk/blog/megan-mckenna-biography-career-relationships/)
**X Factor: Celebrity.** In 2019 McKenna was one of 15 celebrities taking part in [Simon Cowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-cowell)'s *The X Factor: Celebrity*. On 30 November 2019 she beat three other finalists to become the show's first winner, taking the prize of a recording contract.[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/) In 2018 she had performed at the [British Summer Time](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-summer-time) festival in London's Hyde Park, supporting [Michael Bublé](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-buble), one of her biggest gigs to that point.[2](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/)
## Business ventures and later life
McKenna opened a grill house, MCK Grill, in Woodford Green, Essex.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2017/sep/08/reality-star-megan-mckenna-taylor-swift-only-way-essex) • [7](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/megan-mckenna-41409.php) She has also published a gluten-free cookbook, *Love Gluten Free* (2023), and shares cooking and lifestyle content with a large social media following; her Instagram account had about 3 million followers.[1](https://cultureobserver.uk/blog/megan-mckenna-biography-career-relationships/) • [11](https://pictame.com/en/compare/meganmckenna-vs-rudymancuso)
**Move to Germany.** McKenna is married to the footballer [Oliver Burke](https://www.edgepedia.org/oliver-burke), who has played for [SV Werder Bremen](https://www.edgepedia.org/sv-werder-bremen) and is signed with Union Berlin; their son Landon Henry was born in 2024.[12](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/megan-mckenna-moved-to-germany-after-break-in-left-her-scared-to-stay-in-uk-AG3DYPJE5BJKLFOUKCQQRCVPUY/) • [13](https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/megan-mckenna) Speaking on the *Great Company with Jamie Laing* podcast in 2026, she said she had moved to Germany full-time after intruders carrying machetes broke into her home in England two years earlier, leaving her scared to live there alone while Burke was based in Germany; she said she had been unable to discuss the incident publicly while a trial was ongoing.[12](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/megan-mckenna-moved-to-germany-after-break-in-left-her-scared-to-stay-in-uk-AG3DYPJE5BJKLFOUKCQQRCVPUY/)
## References
1. [Megan McKenna – Biography, Relationships, and Net Worth, Culture Observer](https://cultureobserver.uk/blog/megan-mckenna-biography-career-relationships/)
2. [Megan McKenna: From reality TV regular to X Factor star, The Courier (Press Association)](https://www.thecourier.co.uk/lifestyle/1032395/megan-mckenna-from-reality-tv-regular-to-x-factor-star/)
3. [From TOWIE To Nashville: How Megan McKenna Built A Multi-Million Pound Net Worth, Anfield Central](https://www.anfieldcentral.co.uk/from-towie-to-nashville-how-megan-mckenna-built-a-multi-million-pound-net-worth/)
4. [How reality star Megan McKenna knocked Taylor Swift off the top of the charts, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2017/sep/08/reality-star-megan-mckenna-taylor-swift-only-way-essex)
5. [There's Something About Megan, Lime Pictures](https://www.limepictures.com/show/theres-something-about-megan/)
6. [Megan McKenna – Biography, Discography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/megan-mckenna-mn0003662564)
7. [Megan McKenna Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/megan-mckenna-41409.php)
8. [Megan McKenna: 'I never planned to be a reality TV star', Loose Women, ITV](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/megan-mckenna-i-never-planned-to-be-a-reality-tv-star-singing-has-always-been-my-passion)
9. [Megan McKenna List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/megan-mckenna/credits/3060441391/)
10. [Who is Megan McKenna? X Factor Celebrity 2019 star's career history, Smooth Radio](https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/megan-mckenna-x-factor-celebrity-age-boyfriend/)
11. [Megan McKenna vs Rudy Mancuso – Instagram Comparison, Pictame](https://pictame.com/en/compare/meganmckenna-vs-rudymancuso)
12. [Megan McKenna moved to Germany after break-in left her scared to stay in UK, The Irish News](https://www.irishnews.com/entertainment/megan-mckenna-moved-to-germany-after-break-in-left-her-scared-to-stay-in-uk-AG3DYPJE5BJKLFOUKCQQRCVPUY/)
13. [Who is Megan McKenna dating?, Who's Dated Who](https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/megan-mckenna)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Reality television personalities and media celebrities › Docuseries and ensemble cast members › Shore and lifestyle ensemble cast › Shore and TOWIE cast members*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license