The 46-year-old singer recalls her reaction when she was informed about her bandmate's untimely passing in April 2023, admitting that 'still can't believe it's real.'
- Jul 26, 2023
AceShowbiz - S Club 7's Tina Barrett "still can't believe" Paul Cattermole has passed away. The pop star died in April, aged 46, and his former bandmate admits that she's struggled to come to terms with his passing.
Tina, 46, told The Sun newspaper, "I was at home with my son, we were just watching TV and I picked up the call. At first I was just like, 'This isn't real ... it can't be real. You've made a mistake.' " She added, "I still can't believe it's real."
Tina's other bandmates, Rachel Stevens, Jo O'Meara, Bradley McIntosh, Jon Lee and Hannah Spearitt, were also shocked and devastated by the news.
Jo recalled, "Our management called. Me and Jon were the first to hear. It was about half past nine on the Thursday night. I think I just went completely silent at first. It was awful."
Paul was found dead at his home in Dorset in April, and it was subsequently confirmed that he died of natural causes. Jon recalled, "We'd done a Zoom call with him, all of us, on the Monday. Then our management had messaged him a few times and it hadn't shown that it'd been read on WhatsApp. So it was like, 'Is he all right?' But then it was like, 'Yeah it's Paul. You know, sometimes he doesn't answer his phone.' Then the next day I phoned him and messaged him. Everyone was trying to get hold of him ... and no one could."
S Club announced their reunion shortly before Paul passed away, and Jon admits that his death has changed his own outlook on life. He said, "Moving forward, you realize life is too short. You never know what's going to happen. So when you're given an opportunity like this, you grab it and run with it. We're going to push it as far as we can go because it's a gift."
