The one lesson I’ve learned from life

Singer Rachel Stevens

Singer rachel Stevens, 41, rose to fame with S Club 7 before enjoying a solo career. She’s about to tour the UK in dance show rip it Up The 70s. She lives in Mill Hill, north London, with her property developer husband Alex Bourne, and their two daughters, Amelie, eight, and five-year-old Minnie.

BEING A MUM GIVES YOU PERSPECTIVE

I’m a worrier, always have been. But then, I’ve always wanted to be the best person I can possibly be.

as I’ve got older, though, I’ve become better at giving myself a good talking to if I’m making too much of something; if I’m blowing something out of all proportion.

What seems like an insurmountable problem lying in your bed at three in the morning has shrunk to something much more manageable in the cold light of day. It comes down to learning how to manage your feelings better. We’ve all got insecurities, but I’ve found that having children puts things into perspective.

Parenting is the hardest job in the world — and the most important. So, like any mum, I worry about the girls. But, in a way, they give me a focus. It certainly makes my own worries seem insignificant by comparison.

When I first had success with S Club, I was barely out of my teens. It was a strange time, which, looking back, I realise I wasn’t yet mature enough to deal with. against the backdrop of the band doing well, my parents were going through a break-up so I felt very conflicted.

But, slowly, I trained myself to put on my logical head if I was getting into a state. I’d stop and breathe deeply. and, although the situation wasn’t always as I would have wished it to be, you do learn and grow.

I’m in my 40s now and I’m much better at managing things. I’m still growing, of course, but I know myself better. I’m calmer than I was and more confident, too.

But then, I have responsibility for two little girls — and that concentrates the mind wonderfully well.