S Club 7 singer's reunion tour exit goes deeper than Paul Cattermole grief
"I've got a compromised immune system and stress makes it worse."
Hannah Spearritt has candidly addressed her decision to drop out of the upcoming S Club 7 reunion tour.
The tragic death of bandmate and ex-partner Paul Cattermole was originally angled as the reason behind the singer's departure, but in a new interview with The Sun, Spearritt set the record straight.
"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," she explained.
Read more: S Club 7: Bankruptcy, Big Brother and fortune telling - what have the band been up to?
"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."
Spearritt, who will compete on ITV's Dancing on Ice at the beginning of next year, further recalled: "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."
Read more: S Club 7's Paul Cattermole claims he was forced to date bandmate Hannah Spearritt
Five months on from stepping out of the band's 25th anniversary limelight, the mum-of-two says she hasn't heard from Rachel Stevens, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara or Tina Barrett, but is pleased they'll be keeping the S Club fire burning.
"I'm glad that the tour is still going ahead and the songs will live on, but now I'm looking -forward, not backwards," she said.
"I've not spoken to any of them since I left, which is fine. I'm really sad we aren't in touch. They've gone their way and I've gone mine. I wish them all the best."
The Good Times tour kicks off at Manchester's AO Arena next Thursday (12 October).
Watch: First look at new S Club 7 single as band pay emotional tribute to Paul Cattermole
