S Club 7’s Hannah Spearritt addresses Paul Cattermole’s death in tears | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV

Over the following days, social media filled with tributes, memories and recollections of the late pop star, especially from Paul’s former colleagues and bandmates, but his ex-girlfriend and S Club 7 costar Hannah Spearritt, 42, was notably absent from any discourse. 

Now, just over a week after his tragic death, Hannah broke her silence with a heart-wrenching clip as she spoke to The Sun, visibly still shaken by the sudden loss of a long-time friend and bandmate. 

Hannah revealed that the pain is “still so raw” that she’s in “survival” mode at the moment. 

The mum-of-two joked that “once the kids stop screaming” is when “it really hits you” and threatens to drag her under but she has thrown herself into her family life with fitness instructor Adam Thomas as a distraction. 

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She added: “I’m trying my best to hold it together but once I start, I can’t stop crying. And then I have to keep myself together for our two kids. I can’t even imagine any mother losing their child.”

Hannah recalled waking up on April 7 to a text from S Club 7’s manager for their upcoming reunion tour, an ominous message simply saying she had some “very sad and tragic news”. 

The singer called the number and was told over the phone that Paul had died the day before, but she “just couldn’t” process what she was being told. 

Hannah and Paul had become one of the first music-industry IT couples in the early 2000s, dating from 2001 until 2006. 

They rekindled their romance for a few months in 2015, but the second break-up put a great strain on their relationship and they were reportedly not on speaking terms until the announcement of the S Club 7 reunion tour earlier this year. 

Looking back now, Hannah is incredibly “grateful” for the reunion tour, even if Paul ultimately will not be able to take part in it, as it gave her a chance to “make peace” with him. 

She shared: “I know that’s all we both ever wanted. There was no need for such a long feud, not talking for so many years.”

Sobbing, she added: “He was just so excited for the tour…”

Hannah added that the public fervour around Paul’s death has made it harder for her to cope with his passing as her coping mechanism is “to block it all out”, but thanked fans for the “little ray of sunshine” they have been providing with their messages of love and support.