There’s basically two cliched tales applied to any ’90s pop band: the super-successful act that struck while the iron was hot and made enough to invest in a few car dealerships and live comfortably forevermore or the exploited misfortunates who got swindled out of their earnings by a crooked manager.
But according to Hannah Spearritt, who you may remember as a member of S Club 7, the UK group that redefined the meaning of ‘cheese’ in the late ’90s, she and her fellow S Club members didn’t exactly become multi-millionaires, but they managed to do alright for themselves.
Speaking recently to the Daily Telegraph, via News Corp, Spearritt revealed that she earned an average of $A299,400 (£150,000) a year as a member of S Club 7. “I got about £600,000 ($A1.198m) from S Club 7 over four years. It was a lot of money, I didn’t really realise,” she said.
Now a TV actress appearing on the UK medical drama Casualty, the 38-year-old Spearritt said she used the majority of the cash she made from S Club 7 to purchase a house with her ex-boyfriend and S Club bandmate Paul Cattermole.
“I used it to buy my first ever house with Paul. It was a mews house in Crouch End with three bedrooms,” she said. “It was nice. We paid £375,000 and then sold it for about £475,000 after three years. I didn’t realise how lucky I was then to be able to buy the house outright. I really appreciate it now.”
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Nowadays, Spearritt says she’s less of a spender: “There have been times when things have gone in that direction. It isn’t a nice feeling. I’m OK as long as I know I can pay my bills and have a little bit of money on top to go enjoy myself. To go to the theatre and stuff — that’s all I need.
“Anything above that is a bonus. That’s what I need to do to keep my stress levels down. I’m a lot better about money now because I never known when my next job is coming from.” Spearritt currently resides in a £1.1m house in Richmond, London.
“I’ve learnt to slow down. I enjoy going to charity shops and vintage shops now and seeking out odd things that not everyone has got. I used to buy more expensive stuff and wear it once and then it would be hanging in the wardrobe and I wouldn’t be able to sell it.”
