31 October 2023 , 07:30
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S Club fans were saddened to learn that Hannah Spearitt had made the tough decision to drop out of the band's eagerly awaited 25th-anniversary tour, announcing her exit back in May. Hannah's announcement came after the tragic news of her ex-boyfriend Paul Cattermole's death at the age of just 46, and many naturally assumed her grief was the driving force behind her choice.
Paul and Hannah fell for each other at the height of their S Club fame, but ended up parting ways in 2006, three years after the band split. They briefly rekindled their romance during a 2015 reunion but ultimately decided to call it a day. There are however other reasons which have now become clear as to why the 42-year-old knew she had to bow out of the tour. And she's since spoken candidly about why this was ultimately the right thing to do for her and her family.
Hannah knew dropping out would be the best thing for her and her family (Getty Images)
Fans were left devastated by the death of Paul Cattermole (Getty Images)Speaking with The Sun ahead of the launch of her new memoir Facing The Music, Hannah explained: "I was extremely excited — we all were — to get back as a seven. But then Paul died and everything changed. It gave me time to reflect on whether it was the right thing for me to do.
"I hadn't been in the best of health — I've got a compromised immune system and stress makes it worse. My body just couldn't cope with everything that was happening. I wasn't myself. I was getting these crippling panic attacks, was suffering from really bad vertigo, and was tired all the time. It was affecting my kids too, because I had no energy to do anything with them."
The mum-of-two continued: "The more I started to think about what it was that I wanted, the more I realised that I just couldn't go back. It was causing me a great deal of stress. It felt like S Club was so long ago, and I know it's a cliché but life is short. It just didn't feel right. In the end, I had to make a decision that was right for me and my family."
Red-faced Lorraine blindsided by raunchy texts from husband during live show
The band has addressed rumours of a feud (Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images For XIX Management)Hannah's side of the story follows previous claims that the popstar and actress had been "blindsided" by her fellow bandmates, who had allegedly been "ordered not to speak" to her. In a separate interview with The Sun, an insider claimed that Hannah had been "binned" due to a number of disagreements with talent manager and S Club creator Simon Fuller.
The source said: "Hannah is devastated. She was pushed out, and doesn't understand why. The rest of S Club has been told not to contact her." S Club members have firmly shut down rumours of such a feud however during an interview back in July, during which Jon Lee stated: "You can kind of take it with a pinch of salt". Tina Barrett added: "The article's nonsense."