S Club and Hannah Spearritt are no longer on speaking terms amid insider claims that she was left feeling ‘betrayed’ by a row over contracts for the band’s upcoming tour.
The singer, 42, left the band unexpectedly in May, after the shocking death of her former boyfriend and bandmate Paul Cattermole.
The remaining members of the group – Rachel Stevens, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh and Tina Barrett – decided to rename the band S Club and continue as a five-piece.
Speaking in a video posted on Instagram, Jon said: ‘You’ve probably noticed that there’s only five of us here today, and although Hannah will always be part of S Club 7, she won’t be joining us on this tour. We wish her all the best for the future.’
However, it has been reported that Hannah was unaware she was not being included on the tour until the post and had been about to sign her contract before being ‘blindsided’ by the launch.
On the outs: S Club and Hannah Spearritt are no longer on speaking terms amid insider claims that she was left feeling ‘betrayed’ by a row over contracts for the band’s upcoming tour
Exit: The singer, 42, left the band unexpectedly in May, after the shocking death of her former boyfriend and bandmate Paul Cattermole the month before
Moving on: The remaining members of the group decided to rename the band S Club and continue as a five-piece. Front row from left: Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh and Rachel Stevens. Jo O’Meara and Tina Barrett are seen behind
It is thought that Hannah has now signed a contract and that she will be joining the band at a later date.
But sources close to the star say that she felt ‘betrayed’ after being snubbed from the tour and they fear that the ‘bad blood’ between her and the group means there is ‘little to no chance’ of her making an appearance, according to The Sun.
The source added: ‘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 claims that Hannah ‘very much wanted to be part of the tour’ but had ‘pushed back on a few details’ prior to signing her contract while the other band members ‘said yes to everything’ and signed immediately.
They add that she was then ‘binned’ after a series of disagreements with S Club creator Simon Fuller and that the rest of the band are now ‘not even speaking to her’.
Representatives for S Club have confirmed that Hannah has not spoken to the rest of the band.
Last month, MailOnline reported that she had drafted in lawyers as relations between her and the band’s bosses had become ‘tricky’.
One source said: ‘It is a shame that it has got to the point where Hannah has had to get lawyers.’
Romance: Hannah and Paul dated from 2001 before splitting in 2006, with the pair rekindling their romance in 2015 before finally going their separate ways just months later (pictured 2004)
It comes after S Club appeared on the BBC’s The One Show last week where they discussed the possibility of Hannah returning to the band.
Host Alex Jones said: ‘We can’t help but notice of course that Hannah’s not here tonight. Is she going to come back in the future? What’s the plan there? Or is it just too much at the moment?’
Jon said: ‘The door’s always open. I mean we’ve got lots of stuff coming up after the tour, we’ve got loads of stuff coming up near the end of this year but there are loads of projects that we’re working on for next year as well.
‘So you know, she could always pop in and join us maybe for something next year.’
Hannah and Paul dated from 2001 before splitting in 2006, with the pair rekindling their romance in 2015 before finally going their separate ways just months later.
After his sudden death from heart issues in April at 46, Hannah opened up to The Sun, saying: ‘I can’t stop crying. I still can’t believe I will never see him again.
‘I’m trying my best to hold it together but once I start, I can’t stop crying. And then I have to keep myself together for our two kids. I can’t even imagine any mother losing her child.’
Coroners discovered Paul died from a ‘cardiac arrhythmia, acute myocardial ischaemia and severe coronary artery atheroma and intraplaque haemorrhage’.
Emotional: Coroners discovered Paul died from a ‘cardiac arrhythmia, acute myocardial ischaemia and severe coronary artery atheroma and intraplaque haemorrhage’
Touching: S Club has released new single These Are The Days in Paul’s honour , with the accompanying music video showing a montage of Paul over the years
S Club has released new single These Are The Days in Paul’s honour, with the accompanying music video showing a montage of Paul over the years.
As the five remaining members of the band flip through a photo album of memories, each shot turns into a video clip of the band as they rose to fame and achieved chart topping pop success.
Speaking to The Sun, Rachel said the band are now closer than ever and have bonded over their shared grief.
Jo added the band feel it is important to remember Paul for the ‘goofy’ bandmate he was and will pay tribute to him in their tour.
‘The smiles have replaced the tears, in a really positive way,’ she said
While filming the accompanying music video, they explained they saw a butterfly that they believed was their late bandmate.
Tina told the publication: ‘There was a butterfly. We were all sat down and a butterfly came from nowhere. It was a really bright, beautiful butterfly which flew down and went off. I don’t know why, but I just thought, “That’s Paul”. It came from nowhere.’
The band’s 25th anniversary reunion tour – which kicks off in October – has been renamed The Good Times Tour, after one of the tracks on which Paul had lead vocals.
