The new series of Dancing on Ice kicks off on ITV tonight – and bosses will be hoping there won’t be a showdown between Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens.
Hannah is one of the celebs taking part in this year’s competition and has been paired with pro skater Andy Buchanan. Her former S Club bandmate Rachel appeared on the show back in 2022 and after leaving her husband is now dating her former professional Brendyn Hatfield. Rachel is said to be making frequent trips to the studio to support Brendyn, with ITV bosses fearing there could be an awkward run-in between the two women.
It comes after Hannah quit S Club weeks before the band’s 25th anniversary tour following the shock death of bandmate and former boyfriend Paul Cattermole in April last year at the age of just 46. Since then it has been reported that the five remaining members of S Club, including Rachel, Jo O’Meara, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee and Bradley McIntosh, had been told not to speak to Hannah due to a rumoured disagreement over her exit from their then upcoming reunion tour.
And Hannah has also been avoiding talking about her former bandmates. In a preview interview with Lorraine ahead of Dancing on Ice starting, she was asked if she had spoken to former bandmate Rachel for any tips. There was an awkward pause before Hannah replied: "Do you know what, I'm just focusing on, like, me - I know that sounds so selfish – but I have to.”
Hannah is one of the celebs taking part in this year's Dancing on Ice (Getty Images)
She is said to be 'no longer speaking' to her S Club bandmates, including Rachel (Redferns)Hannah dropped out of the latest S Club tour at the last minute and has since revealed she has been suffering crippling panic attacks, as well as vertigo and fatigue, leaving her with little energy for fitness instructor partner and their two daughters Taya, five, and three-year-old Tora.
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But in the past six months she has turned her life around and is now ready to step back into the limelight again as she prepares to wow the Dancing on Ice judges. Reflecting on her life in the past year, Hannah revealed how much she had struggled following bandmate Paul’s death. The pair dated between 2001 and 2006.
Writing in her memoir, Facing The Music, 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."
Though the band have said the door will always be open for Hannah to return, she said: "Will I ever perform with them again? I just don't know. I'm glad that the tour is still going ahead and the songs will live on, but now I'm looking forward, not backwards."
S Club reunited at the star of last year before Paul's sudden death in April (Getty Images)While Hannah and Rachel still appear to follow each other on social media, Dancing on Ice bosses are said to be bracing themselves for potential drama off the rink when the new series starts.
A source told : "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."
Appearing on Loose Women on Thursday, Hannah emotionally declared S Club "will never be the same again". She was asked by panellist Nadia Sawalha: "You were going to do the reunion last year, weren't you, with S Club 7? But made the decision, which is absolutely right for you, to pull out of it," to which Hannah replied: "Yeah, I think S Club 7 unfortunately will never ever be the same again. It just, unfortunately, wasn't the right time for me to continue."
The Mirror has contacted both Hannah and Rachel's representatives for comment.
*Dancing on Ice starts on Sunday, January 14 at 6.30pm on ITV and ITVX
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