Paul Cattermole, seen here performing with bandmate Hannah Spearritt at Wembley Arena in London in 2002. Photo / AP
Paul Cattermole, seen here performing with bandmate Hannah Spearritt at Wembley Arena in London in 2002. Photo / AP
It’s been a heartbreaking year for the S Club 7 family following the death of Paul Cattermole, and now his bandmate, Hannah Spearritt, has revealed she blamed herself for his death.
The 42-year-old singer was shocked when her S Club 7 bandmate and former boyfriend Cattermole, 46, died suddenly in April, and revealed she initially feared he had taken his own life and thought it was her fault.
Speakng to The Sun on Sunday newspaper, Spearritt admitted her fears came from a “deeply disturbing” email she received from Cattermole in 2021. “I will never ever reveal the contents of that email.
“It’s not in my book and I will take it to the grave. I didn’t tell anybody about it at the time because it was pretty clear that he wasn’t very well.
Presenters Jermaine Jenas (back left) and Alex Jones (back right) with (from left) Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Hannah Spearritt, Jon Lee, Rachel Stevens, Bradley McIntosh and Jo O'Meara, of S Club 7, and actor Neil McDermott during filming for The One Show in London. Photo / AP
“The things he said were of great concern. It was a lot. I started blaming myself. I had all these things going through my head — it was all blame, blame, blame. It was horrible.
“I thought maybe he believed the email was about to come out and that perhaps I was about to share it.”
However, it was later revealed Cattermole’s death was caused by cardiac issues but that didn’t stop Spearritt from feeling overwhelmed and pulling out of the S Club 7 reunion tour with bandmates Rachel Stevens, 45, Jon Lee, 41, Bradley McIntosh, 42, Jo O’Meara, 44, and 47-year-old Tina Barrett.
She said: “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.
S Club 7 members Jo O'Meara (left), Rachel Stevens, Paul Cattermole, Tina Barrett, Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt and John Lee. Photo / AP
“It was affecting my kids too, because I had no energy to do anything with them. 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 cliche 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.”
It comes after S Club 7 announced they are releasing their first single in 20 years, These Are The Days, alongside a bittersweet music video in tribute to Cattermole.
The group feel “lucky” to have been able to reunite in February this year, before Cattermole’s death.
“To have that time together was really special. We all reconnected again as who we are now. Paul felt part of it. We all felt part of it,” Stevens shared.
