Inside Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens feud as DOI bosses 'keep them apart'

03 January 2024 , 08:57

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Inside Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens feud as DOI bosses 'keep them apart'

Dancing On Ice bosses are getting ready for a big "clash" as they plan to keep Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens apart when the new series kicks off later this month.

The two stars used to be close friends during their time together in S Club 7, but that all changed last year when Hannah left the band following the tragic death of Paul Cattermole in April.

While Hannah failed to reunite with Rachel and the rest of the group on stage last year for their 25th anniversary tour, the Reach singer could possibly bump into her old bandmate on the rink thanks to her latest reality TV stint. Dancing On Ice bosses fear Hannah, who is competing on this year's series Andy Buchanan, and Rachel, partner of skating professional Brendyn Hatfield, could cause a "cold front" should they cross paths inside the ITV studios during the next few weeks.

But why are the former bandmates no longer singing from the same hymn sheet? What caused the S Club party to end? Here's everything we know about Hannah and Rachel's icy feud...

Hannah Spearritt is currently busy training for the latest series of Dancing On Ice (Instagram)

While her old S Club 7 bandmate Rachel Stevens is dating on of the ITV show's pro skaters (brendynhatfield/Instagram)

Last year, it was reported that five remaining members of S Club had been told not to speak to Hannah Spearritt due to a rumoured disagreement over her exit from their then upcoming reunion tour. Hannah exited the band following the death of her ex and bandmate Paul Cattermole's death in April the same year, prior to the group's tour being scheduled to start just a few months later.

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However, in July sourced claimed Hannah was shocked when she saw her bandmates announcing the tour as a five-piece on social media and unaware the tour would be going ahead with just Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Rachel Stevens, and Tina Barrett taking to the stage.

She was reportedly left feeling "blindsided" by the announcement and sought legal advice regarding the snub. A source claimed that there is "little to no chance" of Hannah re-joining the S Club reunion due to alleged "bad blood" within the group. The insider told The Sun in July: "Hannah is devastated. She was pushed out, and doesn't understand why. The rest of S Club has been told not to contact her."

The insider also suggested that Hannah was "binned" after disagreements with S Club creator Simon Fuller and alleged that while the other band members signed their tour contracts quickly, Hannah "took her time and pushed back on a few details". It was also said that Hannah didn't know about S Club's relaunch as a five-piece until it was announced on social media. The source said: "poor Hannah" really wanted to perform with S Club again but had "issues which needed resolving".

S Club 7 pictured in February 2023, just weeks before Paul's tragic death (Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images For XIX Management)

Earlier in the week, prior to the source making the shocking claims, S Club had discussed Hannah's absence during an interview about their then upcoming tour. Jon said "it's a conversation for Hannah to have", but reassured fans that "we've got loads of stuff" planned for the future and Hannah is always welcome. Tina added that "nothing bad" happened, everyone just needs some space.

But sadly for S Club fans, it appears something "bad" did happen between Hannah and the rest of her S Club bandmates, with Dancing On Ice bosses now reportedly doing their best to keep one of their latest contestants apart from Bring It All Back singer Rachel when the show returns.

Hannah will be skating with Andy Buchanan when the new series kicks off on Sunday 14 January, while comedian Lou Sanders teams up with Brendyn Hatfield, who is dating Hannah's ex-bandmate and now enemy Rachel. Rachel and Brendyn got together in 2022 after meeting on the show and striking up a romance away from the ice rink.

If Rachel comes to watch Brendyn perform on the live shows, she might bump into Hannah - something ITV bosses are slightly concerned about. A source spilled to The Sun this week: "Falling on the ice is going to feel warm and painless compared to the cold front that will envelop Dancing On Ice if their paths cross. The best hope is that Hannah and Rachel are kept apart. But given the series lasts for two months and they could both be in the studio at the same time, that's not going to be easy."

ITV producers are also said to be worried that Hannah might be messing up the progress she's made for the show. Fans will know that stars are picked for the show months before so they can get ready to skate in front of lots of people. But there's talk that Hannah has missed some important practice times before the show starts next Sunday.

A source told the Sun: "Hannah is on thin ice. She has missed a number of rehearsals with Andy and there are fears that she won't be ready. All the performances are live, so any mistakes, mishaps or, in the worst case, falls are caught live on camera. Like many pros, Andy will do a lot of the heavy lifting in the routines, but it does help if the celebrity has a base level of ability."

Zoe Delaney