Rachel Stevens won “cool mum points” when S Club entered the Official Vinyl Single Charts at number one earlier this summer.
The pop group had released their 2001 smash hit Don’t Stop Movin’ on vinyl for the first time in.
“My daughters are so into music now and get the charts,” says Stevens (45) who shares Amelie (12) and Minnie (nine) with her ex-husband Alex Bourne.
“They couldn’t believe it, and were blown away. I got serious cool mum points for about five minutes. So it was good, I’ll take that. They are gorgeous, and so excited for the tour,” the London-born singer adds.
The band – formerly known as S Club 7 – will be heading on tour in October, reuniting to celebrate their 25th year with shows planned across the UK and Ireland. A couple of months after the Reunited Tour was announced however, bandmember Paul Cattermole died from natural causes in April, aged 46.
S Club recently released their first new new single in 20 years – These Are The Days – paying tribute to their late bandmate.
With the first tour date just weeks away, how is Stevens feeling about getting back on stage?
“I am so excited. We just can’t wait to get back on stage again and have the best time with everyone, singing and dancing,” she says. “But I always get nervous when I care so much. I want to be the best I can be, and channel how I’m feeling in the best way.”
Thank goodness her daughters have turned out to be S Club fans: “It’d be very awkward if they weren’t,” Stevens quips over the phone. “They are starting to see S Club for what it was and still is now. It stands for positivity, energy, kindness, and love, but I didn’t think about it in that way when I was 19, back in the early days.
“Since having kids of my own and hearing the music again — the girls always want me to put it on in the car — it makes me a bit emotional, because the lyrics mean something different now that I’m a mum,” she continues.
“That’s how I want my kids to feel, think, and believe in themselves. It’s a really lovely message to be putting out there, especially now more than ever, when there is so much music [to choose from]. Bringing it to a new audience and releasing new music is really special too.”
There are a lot of dreams and goals the TV personality – who featured on hit shows including Strictly Come Dancing in 2008 and Celebrity MasterChef in 2017 – says she is aspiring to. She hasn’t sat down and done vision boards or anything like that, though.
“I don’t know when I would have the time to do that right now,” she reflects. “It’s going to sound a bit cheesy, but I think the more we work on ourselves and get to know who we are, the more we can identify what we want, be grateful and push our intentions out there. That’s my way of manifesting.
“There are things that are bubbling for S Club next year. We’re just so open to all the different opportunities and the new things that are evolving for us. But at this stage, I just want to get some proper quality time with my girls before the tour kicks off and get through rehearsals. I’m so excited to be dancing again.”
Stevens has teamed up with yogurt brand Activia on their new A-Z campaign – raising awareness about gut health and looking after ourselves from the inside out. After all, the gut can play a big role in everything from energy levels to regulating hormones, and even helping us sleep better at night.
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A survey of 1001 Brits by the brand found that although 89% of people consider their gut health important when it comes to supporting their health and wellbeing, almost 47% admit they feel clueless with how to begin. Stevens can relate.
“I didn’t know how much our gut health impacts our mental health, physical health, and sometimes other areas of our life,” she says. “But like any relationship, the relationship between ourselves and our guts takes work.
So, what does Stevens’ relationship with her gut look like now?
“It varies really. I’ve always been really passionate about wellbeing and health, and always trying to get as educated as I can on it. But I find consistency difficult. It’s one of the things I’m trying to be better at,” says the mum-of-two, who stepped out of her comfort zone earlier this year when she joined Heart 00s as a guest presenter.
“My life is very unstructured, in terms of what I do for work. And over the summer holidays, obviously the kids were off school, we’ve been on holiday and out of routine, we all over indulge and drink more too. So everything is different to how it usually would be – and then getting into September, where we’re all trying to get back into the work zone and our children back to school, it’s a really good time to reset.”
Rachel Stevens has teamed up with Activia on their new A-Z campaign to raise awareness of the role our gut health plays in overall wellbeing For more information, visit www.danoneactivia.co.uk.
