Hannah Spearritt had to move into an office after losing her house just before Christmas.
The 41-year-old singer, who has daughters Tea, 4, and Tora, 2, with fitness coach Adam Thomas, rose to fame as part of the 1990s pop group S Club 7, earning £50million as a brand.
But Hannah insists they weren’t paid well compared to the millions the band was making. She now has nowhere to stay after her landlord sold her rented house in London at short notice.
Troubled times: Hannah Spearritt, 41, had to move into an office with her family after losing her house (pictured this month)
Hannah had to take refuge in a friend’s office after not wanting to pay “crazy” rent upfront. They’ve been to four shelters in the last six months and still don’t have one of their own.
She told The Sun: “The children’s beds were there and we had the crayons outside. It was stressful. Our landlord needed the money and the property was sold so quickly. In the end we had less than two days to leave.
“What screwed us up was that we didn’t have time to find another place. We had something over Christmas but we ran out of time before we could move in. It’s only been a few weeks. We filled the unopened cafe with our stuff – we were so lucky to have this storage space – but we had nowhere to go.
Fame game: Hannah rose to fame in the 1990s as part of the 1990s pop group S Club 7 (LR: Rachel Stevens, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Tina Barrett, Bradley McIntosh, Hannah, Jo O’Meara)
“We were allowed to stay in our friend’s office. We only used it as a living room. We could work there and the children played. It was extra space. The cots were there and we had our crayons out. The jungle gym was in place; they enjoyed it. It was stressful, but you can deal with it, right? Especially with the kids. Which doesn’t break you, as they say.’
The ‘Have You Ever’ hitmaker was reportedly paid £150,000 a year during her time at S Club 7 and went on to explain that fans may believe she and her former bandmates are ‘millionaires’ but insisted that they were this is not the case.
She added that the group’s members “didn’t have a good salary compared to the money being made,” adding that it’s “just not true” that they were millionaires.
However, Hannah insisted she was enjoying her time in the pop group, saying “it is what it is.”
Meanwhile, Hannah – whose business has suffered setbacks for “personal reasons” but the cafe is set to open this summer – last reunited for an arena tour with S Club 7 in 2015.
Family affair: Hannah has daughters Tea, four, and two-year-old Tora with fitness instructor Adam Thomas
While she’s excited for the future, she has yet to officially sign up for another series of shows with her bandmates and is hesitant because she doesn’t want to be “paid a pittance.”
She explained that for now, the band would have to go with the name S Club 6, which she admitted “didn’t have the same sound.”
Hannah gives herself more time to think about reuniting with the band, insisting it must be worthwhile for her as she would be away from her children for a significant amount of time while working with the group.
Cashing in: The ‘Have You Ever’ hitmaker was reportedly earning a salary of £150,000 a year during her time at S Club 7 (pictured with partner Adam).
However, she would like her children to have the opportunity to see their mother perform with the S Club, adding: “This time it’s an opportunity to do things right.”
She explained how the delays with her cafe were “very personal,” adding that she was suffering from an illness that left her bedridden for three months.
But the star is positive about the future, concluding: “We hope that our cafe will finally open in the summer and that we can also move into our own home by then.”
Showstopper: As she looks forward to the future, she has yet to officially sign up for another series of shows with her bandmates (pictured this month)
It comes after Paul Cattermole, a member of the S Club band, put his BRIT Award up for sale on eBay for £650 after going through a rough patch in 2018.
The 45-year-old singer received a meager three bids, while 5ive star Abz Love pocketed £1million for his gong just a few years earlier.
Paul, who was previously in a relationship with Hannah, won the 2002 Best Newcomer award along with the rest of the pop group.
Throwback: It comes after Paul Cattermole, a member of the S Club band, put his BRIT Award up for sale on eBay for £650 after going through a rough patch in 2018
Paul listed the price on January 5, 2018 on the auction site for £650, with a meager three people bidding on it.
The star shared a series of pictures of her BRIT Awards trophy from different angles and described her condition as “very good”.
He went on to describe the gong further: “Here is the 2000 Brit Award for Best Newcomer, presented to Paul Cattermole of S Club 7.
“Statuette of Britannia 13 1/4” tall, it has not been professionally polished, there are spots that cannot come out without a professional polish. There are signs of age.
“Where the arms meet the back of the shoulders and where the neck and chest flow into the bodice of the dress. A depression on the inside of the helmet. This is a pour bubble and has always been there. *See photos*
“Letter of provenance will be provided, message for postage/meeting and greet details,” he says, before continuing: “Paul can meet and greet you and take photos, depending on distance :-)”
Paul listed the starting price as £650 but only three fans placed a bid – the highest being £690.
He also lined up a frame he received for the S Club 7 album, which went platinum in New Zealand and had a starting bid of £200.