Yahoo News 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
