Latest news with #ClaireRichards
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Faye Tozer looks radiant as she gives first TV interview since split from husband of 16 years - but H steals the show with jaw-dropping reveal about his famous blond hair
Faye Tozer looked radiant as she gave her first TV interview since her split from husband of 16 years - but H stole the show with a jaw-dropping reveal about his famous blond hair. Pop group Steps appeared on Tuesday's instalment of Lorraine to chat about Here & Now - The Steps Musical with host Lorraine Kelly, 65. The band - who is made up of Faye, Ian "H" Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards and Lisa Scott-Lee - looked seriously chic for their telly appearance. Faye looked incredible in a pink sheer shirt, white trousers and pink open toe heels. She opted for a natural glamorous make-up look and styled her blonde locks into loose curls. The singer failed to discuss her husband Mick Smith's relationship after sparking fears for their 16-year marriage after posting a cryptic post about his heartbreak. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. But Ian "H" Watkins (pictured) stole the show with a jaw-dropping reveal about his famous blond hair while chatting on the live programme Meanwhile Ian AKA H raised some eyebrows when he made a shocking revelation about his locks. Right at the start of the interview, Lorraine praised the band for their co-ordinated outfits, with all of them wearing pink. She turned to H and said: 'Well, you go without saying!' Claire confessed: 'We're calling him Simon today. He's got his Simon Cowell glasses on.' H added: 'They are rose-tinted.' Lorraine told him: 'I'm loving the hair!' H clapped back: 'None of it is real,' leaving the host open-mouthed and his bandmates in stitches of laughter. It comes after the band took to the Britain's Got Talent stage to open the show. The group performed with the cast of their new musical, Here & Now, which is based on the band's biggest songs. The jukebox musical follows the workers and customers of a seaside superstore and is packed full of tunes from the group's back catalogue, which includes 14 consecutive UK top five singles. Taking to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes snaps from their BGT show, Ian posted a snap of the band together in a lift, looking incredible in matching black and sparkly outfits. Captioning the glamorous shot, he wrote: 'Serving @bgt realness. Shoutout to our glam squad'. Ian also filmed a video of the group backstage addressing their fans, as he began: 'Hi, we're Steps and we are super excited to be opening BGT tonight.' Claire took over to add: 'We are going to be performing with the cast of our brand new musical, Here & Now.' Lisa continued: 'So, tune in from 7pm. It's gonna be a party!' before Ian signed off: 'See you soon!' Fans were thrilled to see the group together, writing: 'OMG cannot wait for this'; 'We missed you so much'; 'Yay! My favourite 5 people on the planet together again'. While even Rylan Clark couldn't hide his excitement, commenting on the post with a string of heart-eyed emojis. Steps ruled the charts after forming in 1997, with mega-hits such as Tragedy, 5, 6, 7, 8, and Deeper Shade Of Blue, before parting ways in 2001. The fivesome reunited in 2011 and then again in 2017 in celebration of their 20th anniversary, going onto release their fifth album, Tears on the Dancefloor. Here & Now was written by Shaun Kitchener and is produced by the band themselves in collaboration with theatre company ROYO and music mogul Pete Waterman. Announcing the project in January last year, the group said: 'We've been lucky to do many things together as a band, but the question we get asked again and again is "where is the Steps musical?" Well…it's finally here and we couldn't be more excited. 'We've searched for the perfect story for our music and we've found it in the aisle of a seaside superstore where four friends set out on their own Summer of Love. 'It's a story of friendship, romance and community; packed with our biggest hits and sure to have everybody laughing, crying and dancing in the aisles. We can't wait to open the doors this year, and see you there!' Fans went wild for the announcement, with one quipping on X: 'Not getting a ticket would be a Tragedy.' The musical follows in the footsteps of other jukebox musicals such as Greatest Days, which is based on Take That's songs, and ABBA's global smash hit Mamma Mia which is the sixth longest-running show in West End history.
ITV News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Birmingham Pride 2025: Who is performing and where is it taking place in the city?
Tens of thousands of people are expected to descend on Birmingham for the city's 2025 Pride, celebrating LGBTQ+ communities. The two-day festival takes place on Saturday 24th May and Sunday 25th May. Organisers say the event, which is in its 28th year, could attract around 40,000 people over the weekend. In previous years, more than 25,000 people have attended across both days, with 8000 participants in the parade and an estimated 75,000 people watching throughout the city. This year, political parties are banned from participating, due to controversy over the Supreme Court's ruling that excludes trans women from the legal definition of a 'woman'. When and where is the parade? The whole event begins with the parade, which kicks off at noon on Saturday, 24 May, from Centenary Square. Participants are encouraged to arrive at the starting point at 11am. The parade will make its way through the city centre and end in Birmingham's Gay Village, where the main festival activities will be held. The theme this year is 'Love has no limits', and anyone can watch the parade for free. Applications to enter the parade have now closed. What happens after the parade? A street party will take place over Saturday and Sunday in the Gay Village: Hurst Street, Bromsgrove Street, Kent Street and Lower Essex Street. There will be community market stalls and food vendors around the city's LGBTQ+ bars and clubs. At the Smithfield festival site in Digbeth there will be performances on the main stage, dance arena, cabaret stage and community stage. Is it free? The parade is free but the street party in the Gay Village and performances at Smithfield will be ticketed. Children who are 11 and under go free, but will still need to book a ticket for these areas. There is a free community event at Smithfield on Friday (23 May), which will involve speakers, live music and food stalls. Although the event is free, tickets still need to be booked online. Since the first charged-for event in 2015, the Birmingham festival has been awarding grants to LGBTQ+ communities and support organisations, as well as other culture groups and charities. Who is in the line-up for the main stage? Those confirmed to perform on the main stage this year include: Clean Bandit Cascada Bananarama Vengaboys Alexandra Burke Claire Richards The Wanted Una Healy Clementine Douglas Moonchild Sanelly Kitty Scott-Claus Catty Tom Rasmussen Tribute acts will be performing on other stages. Why are political parties banned this year? Organisers have banned political parties from participating in Birmingham Pride in 2025, due to controversy over the Supreme Court's ruling that the legal definition of a 'woman' is based on biological sex, excluding trans women. It joined hands with Brighton, London and Manchester Pride organisers in calling for all political parties to protect trans people. In a statement, Birmingham Pride said: "What is happening here in the UK is not isolated. It is part of a disturbing global trend - from banning of Pride events in Hungary to anti-trans legislation in the United States - where LGBTQ+ rights are being systematically rolled back." It added: "Know that this is not a symbolic gesture. It is a direct call for accountability and a refusal to platform those who have not protected our rights. We demand real commitments and measurable progress." The Prime Minister has welcomed the Supreme Court ruling, saying it brings "clarity" but said his government will "ensure trans people are treated with respect".
Metro
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
How British pop icon makes thousands from 'obsessive' side hustle
Steps star Claire Richards has an impressive side hustle selling her old clothes. The 47-year-old singer joined Steps in 1997, with the band going on to achieve two number one albums in the UK, 14 consecutive UK top 5 singles including two number ones, selling over 22 million records worldwide. They were also nominated for best newcomer at the 1999 Brit Awards and were the opening act for Britney Spears on her debut American tour the same year. They officially disbanded in 2001 but re-formed a decade later. Their most recent release – compilation album Platinum Collection – debuted at number 1 in the UK in 2022. Clare has also released two solo albums of her own and has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and The Masked Singer. But away from the spotlight, Claire has been raking it in on Vinted. The singer has been selling pieces on the platform that include clothes she's worn on stage, as well as costumes from her music videos. Operating under the account name princessclarabella, her profile reads: 'I am 47 years old mother of two and I sing for my supper. I love clothes but never seem to throw any of them away when I should. So, it's time to make space x' With nearly 5000 followers, Claire has 588 reviews, with The Sun estimating that past items she's sold amount to over £10,000 in sales. Most of her items are priced between £15 and £100. She currently has 79 items live, including a gold dress for £50 that she wore on the 2012 Light Up the World Xmas tour. Another item listed is an embellished black evening dress for £60, which she wore to a charity event. A customised House of CB top and skirt she wore in the music video for Heartbreak in this City that featured Michelle Visage is also available for £250. She's also selling a pair of pink platform heels from Charlotte Olympia for £150 which she explains she has only ever worn 'on set'. Aside from clothes, Claire is also advertising teddies, kids' toys and kitchenware. In 2023, she posted on Facebook about how she was 'obsessed' with selling her items on Vinted. 'I've got myself on VINTED!! It's AMAZING! I'm OBSESSED Lots of lovely pieces added today. Women's and kids,' she wrote. In 2023, Claire spoke about how pursuing a career in the music industry affected her body image. Just before joining Steps, Claire struggled with anorexia after record bosses commented on her weight. Originally part of The Scan-Dolls, Claire revealed her battle with her eating disorder began at the very start of her career when she was told to lose pounds despite weighing a UK size 10-12. 'It happened when I was in TSD. They did it to all of us because we were all quite curvy girls. I was probably a [size] 10 or a 12 and wasn't big at all…' 'But in the music kind of world and at that time, that whole Kate Moss, heroin-chic, was a thing and they wanted everyone to be really, really skinny… 'So, we were all put on a diet. That diet was interesting because we were encouraged to eat fish fingers, peas and baked beans and have like a 900-calorie diet,' she added when speaking to Vicky Pattison on her show The Secret To.' Then, in 1997, when she auditioned for Steps, Claire was told she 'had to lose weight' in order to be selected. 'It set me on a pathway of not really eating for 4-and-a-half years,' she shared. More Trending 'I still haven't managed to [regain my confidence]. I think I'm much better than I was. But I don't think I ever will get rid of it completely because it's played such a massive part of my life for such a long time… 'And I think I probably was anorexic. You know, I managed to kind of stop what I was doing to myself but that went from not eating at all, to overeating.' She had previously spoken about how she faced being 'dangerously thin' to weighing 16.5 stone. A version of this article was originally published on April 15, 2025. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 00s pop icon rakes in a jaw-dropping £10,000 from her Vinted side hustle
Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Claire Richards: ‘On my first big trip with Steps we were squished into economy by the loo'
The singer Claire Richards, 47, grew up in Hillingdon, Greater London. She is a member of Steps, the UK's most successful mixed-sex pop group of all time, and has also released two albums as a solo artist (My Wildest Dreams in 2019 and Euphoria, a covers album, in 2023). She met her husband, Reece, when he was a publicist for Steps' record company, before he retrained as an electrician. They live in Surrey with their children, Charlie, 17, and Daisy, 15. In the Nineties, the glory days of pop, it was the norm to film music videos in incredible locations. We filmed When I Said Goodbye in Rome, zipping across from the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain; the year before that we jetted off to Havana, Cuba to shoot The Last Thing on My Mind. Havana was such an interesting and visually striking place to record a video, and we spent a week there, driving around its colourful streets in big old American classic cars that were falling apart, taking silly photos on the beach … • Read our full guide to Havana In September 1997, Steps flew to Spain and filmed the video for 5,6,7,8 on a beach in Estepona. We all shared a big apartment in Malaga and spent a couple of evenings going out in Puerto Banus in Marbella. I'm not a big drinker, but having just turned 20, I got so drunk at the wrap party that the next day I had the worst hangover I've ever experienced. H [Ian 'H' Watkins] ended up dragging me out of bed 20 minutes before we had to leave for the airport; I felt so ill. Flying long haul and going straight into work was a real travel lowlight from those days. The band's first big trip was to Singapore on a night flight in 1998. Faye [Tozer], Lisa [Scott-Lee] and I were squished into the rear economy seats by the toilet, with no recline. After a few days in Singapore we flew economy to Australia, landing at 6am; by 10am we were doing a photoshoot on the steps of Sydney Town Hall. We spent one week in Sydney and then Melbourne, doing promotion, and the jet lag was horrendous. For the duration of the trip I was wide awake all night and could barely speak because I was so tired. Our packed schedule meant we never had time to really explore. It was relentless. Aged 17, just before joining my first band, TSD, I visited Tenerife with a friend. We stayed in a dodgy hotel, close to Los Cristianos. It was one of those places where you get given a free drink at the front of every club. It was dreadful. We only had £200 between us to cover our food and drink for a week and by the end we'd had a big argument and weren't speaking to each other. Needless to say, we are no longer friends. Before initial rehearsals for Steps began, when I was 19, my parents booked us all on a package holiday to the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean — a far cry from some of the caravan parks in France we visited when I was young. This was about 28 years ago, when the country wasn't as developed as a tourist destination. The first hotel we went to was awful; the buffet was outside and everything was covered in flies. My mum refused to stay there and fortunately we were moved to a beautiful hotel, where my sister and I felt so grown-up, going to the in-house nightclub inside the hotel while our parents had dinner. It was the perfect holiday just before my life went crazy. After Steps got back together and toured the world in 2018, I treated the family to a couple of nights at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur to explore the city; we then flew to Langkawi and stayed in an incredible villa at the Four Seasons there, with a hammock out the front. Both hotels were spectacular and our base in the cooler Langkawi was particularly idyllic after the humidity of Kuala Lumpur. We were visited by a small monkey called Michael who came for an apple every day. • 10 of the best islands in Malaysia Escape rooms are an obsession of mine, and we did two when we were in New York a few years ago. I'm trying to tick them off around the world — so far I've done Paris, Bournemouth, Windsor, San Francisco — and the best ones are in America. I'm normally the one in the corner shouting at everybody. I'm quite competitive, really. Here & Now — The Steps Musical is touring the UK and Ireland from August 2025 through to May 2026 (
