Claire: “Thinking about food is a daily struggle”
Five years after conquering her weight demons, the Steps star tells Closer why it’s a constant battle to stay slim, and how her marriage still has the sex factor two decades on
She famously battled with S her weight for years in the spotlight, yo-yoing between a size 8 and a 20, but it took turning 40 and shedding 6st to finally make Claire Richards feel comfortable in her own skin.
And Steps singer Claire – who suffered from anorexia and bulimia in her twenties – says while she will never let her weight spiral out of control again, she thinks about food daily.
“I think about the impact it’s had on me in the past, and it is a daily struggle,” she admits. “There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think about food. But I’ve got to a point where I’ve managed to maintain my weight for nearly five years now, so I feel like I’ve got to a place where I’m all right.
“I was always small, but I got big after Steps split up. That’s when I struggled. I overate, and that was why I became the size I was. I don’t eat that much any more.”
PANIC ATTACKS
However, she admits she’s still not at the stage where she feels comfortable using public changing rooms. She says, “I never try on clothes in changing rooms. I’ll always buy them and then try them on at home. It’s a habit I got into when I was bigger.”
Despite conquering her weight demons and embracing her body, Claire admits that she initially found turning 40 last year a huge struggle.
She says, “For the two years leading up to it, I was terrified and having panic attacks, thinking, ‘Oh my God, it’s all over.’ But it’s so weird, I woke up a couple of weeks after my birthday, and I thought, ‘I feel really good.’ Now, I accept my flaws and I’m happy with myself.”
And she says her husband, electrician Reece Hill, always makes her feel beautiful. She first met Reece when she was 20 and he was Steps’ publicity boss. At the time, he was engaged to another woman and expecting a baby. Their affair was soon exposed, costing Reece his job, and the pair split. She had a brief marriage to Steps dancer Mark Webb in 2003, before reuniting with Reece in 2005.
They married in 2008 and have two children, Charlie, 11, and Daisy, eight. And despite being together on and off for over 20 years and married for a decade, she reveals that their chemistry is still amazing.
She says, “Sex is definitely a big part of our relationship, and always has been. He’s a good-looking man. We still really fancy each other. Plus, I know it sounds cheesy, but he is my best friend. I always knew he was The One. I’m really lucky.”
Claire, 41, rose to fame in 1999 with Steps, achieving huge chart success and getting two number ones. The group have reunited throughout the years and are set to release a new album next year.
And the singer is supporting her close friend and band mate Faye Tozer on Strictly. Faye caused a stir recently when she was spotted looking cosy with Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice at lunch, and also admitted that the show had “strained” her nineyear marriage. But Claire insists the relationship is purely platonic.
She says, “It’s all nonsense. I think it’s
because Faye is a beautiful woman and he’s a good-looking guy. Sometimes, they just want to get people talking about the show.”
Claire – who releases her debut album, My Wildest Dreams, in February next year – is currently touring the UK, and her Christmas single My Heart Is Heading Home (This Christmas) has just come out.
INDULGENCE
“Christmas is hurtling towards me rather too quickly at the moment,” she tells us. “I’m normally way ahead of schedule with buying presents and the tree, but not this year. For the first time ever, we are thinking we that might go away for Christmas, but if not, then we will have a full-on traditional one at home in Surrey.
“It’s our turn to host our families. I love cooking for lots of people and, if we’re here, we will have about 15 for lunch. I’m often praised for my crispy roast potatoes.”
She smiles, “I always make way too much food because I never want anyone to go without. I always indulge in my favourite things at Christmas – just for a couple of days. And if I want to eat a plate of roast potatoes with gravy, then I will! But then, the next day, I won’t. My favourite tipple is prosecco.
“I’m a creature of habit, and Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Baileys on ice and a turkey sandwich. I love Boxing Day, too – bubble and squeak with cold meats and pickles.” She adds, “I don’t have any New Year’s resolutions, but I would love for people to enjoy my new album – I have put my heart and soul into every song.”
● Claire’s first solo album My Wildest Dreams is out 1 February. She tours the UK this month
‘I accept my flaws and I’m happy with myself’