THE Taoiseach's ex Celia Larkin has told how she will never kiss and tell about her 15-year relationship with Bertie - no matter how high the price.

Beauty boss Celia has been inundated with offers to sell her story since she split with the Taoiseach earlier this year.

The highest bid yet came last week from a British tabloid, which offered a five-figure sum in exchange for an interview with the newspaper. But like the others, this too was met with a flat rejection from Celia.

"I will never talk about my private life, not for anything," Celia told the Sunday Independent last week. "I just don't want to, and I won't. I don't like to comment on that at all.

"I would prefer if nothing was ever written about my personal life, ever," she continued. "I would prefer if I was only mentioned in connection with my beauty salon."

The big-money offer was made to Celia during a week when speculation about her romantic life was rife once again.

But this newspaper can confirm that she is, in fact, single. And the source is Celia herself.

The first rumour last week was that she had split with cobbler John Rooney - her first boyfriend since Bertie. It was suggested that tough times in the aftermath of her mother's death had forced them apart.

A few days later, it was reported that John and Celia were once again seeing each other after enjoying a string of dates together.

"I can confirm that I am single, absolutely, yes," Celia told the Sunday Independent. "I don't even like to confirm or deny anything, but I will say I am single. But when was I ever really anything else?

"A lot of comments about my life come from 'sources close to' me," she said, "and much of the information is untrue. If all these people were actually close to me, I would have to have a lot of people with me all the time. And if I was linked to all the people I'm supposed to be linked with, well . . . "

While she would not go into further detail about the break-up with John Rooney, a quiet man who runs a shoe-repair shop in Castleknock, a friend said that they had simply drifted apart shortly after her mother's death in October, an event which had devastated Celia.

AT THE funeral in her local church, St Canice's in Finglas, Dublin, John appeared to be Celia's rock of strength in her difficulty, although he did take a seat in the pew behind her rather than beside her.

The only uncomfortable moment came when the Taoiseach himself came up to pay his respects and Celia was faced with the situation where her former lover was in front of her and her new man was behind her.

Her ex and her new beau were both supportive enough to attend the quiet burial service in Sutton, where only close friends and family were at the graveside.

However, the grief of losing a mother must have sparked the end of a relationship that was already under pressure from all the media attention.

A friend said: "It was over shortly after that, but John and Celia did remain friends and went out on a few friendly datesafterwards.

"That's where the rumours of them getting back together came from. But they were just meeting up for a few chats before they finished it completely."

As a kind of celebration of her newly single status, Celia went on a Christmas shopping trip to New York last weekend, where she and a couple of friends took advantage of the weak dollar to stock up on clothes and presents.

A friend of Celia's said: "It was a real women-only trip - it was just Celia and two of her closest friends and they had a great time.

"They were like something out of Sex and the City as they toured the streets of Manhattan and enjoyed the bustle of the big city. Celia loves New York and has been on shopping trips to the city on previous occasions.

"She is looking better than ever these days, and she knows she is young, single, successful and attractive, so she might as well travel and have some fun.

"She is making the most of her status and seems to be happy in her life."

In a year that must go down as one of the worst in Celia Larkin's life, she has certainly demonstrated that she is a strong woman to have come through it with a positive outlook. She is sure to be toasting the end of 2003, her annus horribilis, come New Year's Eve.

Lesser women would have crumbled in the wake of a split with a long-term partner - and a high-profile one at that. Their relationship and break-up was the subject of much media interest and speculation.

She then had to deal with the news that her beauty business, Beauty at the Blue Door, in Drumcondra, Dublin, had made a loss of thousands of euro for the previous year's trading, its first year inoperation.

OF COURSE, the death of her mother Sheila, aged 81, was the biggest blow of all.

But there is also the issue of how the end of her relationship with Bertie signalled the end of her political aspirations.

A Fianna Fail source said that Celia's presence and inspiration was a massive asset to Bertie, powerful enough to have played a big part in his election as Taoiseach.

"She could have had a big future in politics herself as she was a great addition to the Fianna Fail team, enthusiastic and dynamic. But any ideas of that would have been cancelled out after the break-up with Bertie," the source pointed out.

"She would have been subtly shifted out of the scene. Celia effectively gave up a promising political career herself for the love of Bertie."

These days, Celia is concentrating on putting all her energy into making a success of the Beauty at the Blue Door clinic, a salon that is now thriving, despite the early start-up financial losses.

Of course, Celia could make a lot of money if she ever changed her mind and decided to write a book about her years with Bertie, but it looks like she will follow the example of Bertie's ex-wife Miriam and keep her mouth shut.

But those who know both the beauty boss and the Taoiseach feel that there could be another chapter to the Bertie and Celia story.

And maybe that's why she will never spill the beans - maybe she wants to keep the door open to the possibility of rekindling theirrelationship.

- Larissa Nolan