Claire Richards: ‘I nearly had a breakdown’
best columnist Claire Richards tells us about the Steps reunion – and reaching the big 4-0…
Steps have burst back onto the scene 20 years after the release of their debut single, catchy dancefloor filler, 5,6,7,8.
Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Lisa Scott-Lee, Ian ‘H’ Watkins and Lee LatchfordEvans have just released their first album in five years, and are busy rehearsing for their sell-out November tour.
Claire, 39, who has been married to former Steps PR Reece Hill for almost a decade and is mum to son Charlie, 10, and daughter Daisy, seven, chats to us about the big reunion, and looking fab at almost 40. Congrats on the Steps reunion! How’s it going? We’ve been talking about it for two years. We wanted to tour again because we had so much fun on the last tour in 2011. When the idea for the new album came up, we were all a bit, ‘Oh, I don’t know’, because our music was very much of its time, and how do we do that again in 2017? Music’s all cool these days, and does Steps fit into that? So it’s taken us all by surprise, but it’s been incredible, and so exciting! Did any of you expect the single, Scared Of The Dark, to do so well, the album, Tears On The Dancefloor, to be No.1 in the iTunes pre-order chart, and the tour to sell out? No, I don’t think anyone expected that reaction! We had to add five more dates to the tour, and they’re looking at adding another two. Is it just like the old days? Because we had to keep it all a secret, we each recorded our parts for the album separately, and didn’t cross paths at all. The reunion wasn’t without its challenges, but we’ve put the hard work in and we’ve got a great team around us. What can fans expect from the new tour? It’ll be amazing. We don’t want to take away from the songs and the nostalgia, so they’ll definitely get all the old stuff, with a lot of fireworks and costume changes – I always like to see how many we can fit in. It’s been 20 years, and it’s a celebration. The costumes are fabulous! Touring is the best because you can go nuts with clothes! We’ve always been theatrical. I was thinking back to all my costumes and there wasn’t many my midriff wasn’t showing in. I won’t be doing that any more! In the video for 5,6,7,8 we were wearing bikinis and line dancing – I remember having bad dreams about having to dance in a bikini! Are your kids excited? Do they know you’re famous? Yes – they’re so excited. My son, Charlie, told everyone at school his mum’s single was out and that it went to number one on iTunes. Last night, my daughter, Daisy, said, ‘Are you not going to work tomorrow?’ I said, ‘No, I’ll be here and I’ll take you to school and pick you up,’ and the smile on her face was huge. I think she’s more excited about me being at home than being famous. How do you balance it all? Well, I nearly had a breakdown making the sweet treats for my best column recently! I was coming home from rehearsals and torn between going to bed or making them. I’ve had to be up at stupid o’clock and I’ve
been so tired. I’m scheduling and organising, which isn’t my strong point. [My husband] Reece has been amazing – he’s taken up the slack as well as holding down his job. Now the album is released, our mums can help out, so Reece can do a full day’s work, bless him! You’re looking great. On
This Morning recently, Phillip Schofield gushed over your appearance… I think he meant the whole band, not just me! People keep saying we haven’t aged, which isn’t quite true, but we do all look after ourselves. Lee, especially, is super-fit. He does look exactly the same. You turn 40 in August. How will you celebrate? I remember being at my mum’s 40th – I was 16 at the time – and thinking it was so old, but now it doesn’t feel old. I don’t know if that’s because I’m nearly there myself or because people are looking after themselves better. I definitely don’t feel or act my age! I really want a big party and a nice holiday, although my birthday falls on the same weekend as Bros’s reunion tour, so everyone might go to that and not my party! How do you stay so trim? I’m still really careful – I don’t overeat any more. These past few weeks, it has been a case of eating what I can, when I can. Some days we haven’t even had lunch breaks. I really need to step up my exercise regime to build up my stamina for the tour, because it won’t be fun seeing me on the floor in a heap. We’re not 20 any more, so injuries can happen. I have a dodgy knee, which I need to sort out, otherwise you’ll find me sitting on a chair at the side of the stage! l Tears On The Dancefloor is out now.