People often think being a pop star is all glamour – lots of money, travel, and fans loving you.
The former stars of Britain’s most popular girl groups are now sharing the difficult and shocking experiences they had while pursuing their music careers.
Girlbands Forever explores the challenges and mistreatment faced by members of popular girl groups like All Saints, Little Mix, and Atomic Kitten. It’s similar to last year’s successful BBC documentary, Boybands Forever, but focuses on female artists.
One of the most shocking stories from the docuseries comes from All Saints’ Melanie Blatt, who was pressured to get an abortion when she became pregnant during the group’s most popular years.
In 1998, she announced she was pregnant with her first child, fathered by Stuart Zender, the former bassist for Jamiroquai. This came a year after her group, All Saints, achieved international success with their number one hit, “Never Ever.”
Interestingly, around the same time, Nicole Appleton, a member of the same band, discovered she was expecting a baby with her partner, Robbie Williams.
Speaking about the news, Melanie recalled: ‘Nic and I have been best friends since we were 11…
We found out we were expecting while on a trip to Canada, and spent the entire night talking about how we’d raise our children together. It was a truly wonderful night.
However, after mounting pressure from their record label, Nicole opted to terminate her pregnancy.
Melanie said it was a difficult situation because she succeeded in something her friend didn’t. She explained it was a challenging time for both of them, and she felt awkward discussing it.
When we told people we were expecting, it was a bit of a shock for everyone – including us! We hadn’t been together for very long at all.
People weren’t celebrating with us; instead, they seemed scared and worried, realizing that things were about to be different.
We were flying to Los Angeles, and at the airport, our manager surprisingly told us to have abortions.
She said her managers warned them they would fail and that the group was finished, according to her.
Becoming pregnant often created problems for members of girlbands. Natasha Hamilton from Atomic Kitten admitted she was scared when she discovered she was expecting her first child, fearing it would mean the end of her career with the group.
Natasha, now 43, continued working right up until the birth of her son, Josh, with her ex-partner Fran Cosgrave in August 2002. Remarkably, this was the same month their hit single, “The Tide Is High,” reached number one.
‘It was decided I would go back to work six weeks after having Josh,’ she explained.
I was quite anxious because I unexpectedly had to have a C-section, and this show was my first one back after recovering.
‘I just remember the foreboding feeling knowing I was going to do a show I was not ready to do.’
Five months after forming, the group embarked on a promotional tour of East Asia, taking Natasha far away from home.
I was really struggling with negative thoughts, feeling like I wasn’t a good mother,” she remembered. “It was incredibly painful, and I did my best to hide how I was feeling…
After finally receiving a diagnosis of postpartum depression, my doctor recommended six to twelve months of leave. However, I was only granted two weeks.
Natasha began to cry as she explained how much she dreaded being on stage. She described feeling lost and empty while performing, and desperately wanting to finish each show.
She explained that the situation was the main reason she left the group, finishing with a blunt assessment: ‘Nobody wants their career to end badly, but that’s what happened to me.’
We all secretly hoped Atomic Kitten could continue. I didn’t want to give up either. We were so close to achieving lasting success and financial security, but I felt trapped and couldn’t find a solution.
Sugababes’ Mutya Buena suffered a similar fate.
Although she wasn’t in the documentary, the band’s old manager, Darcus Beese, shared that the singer didn’t receive enough help after having her daughter, Tahlia, in 2005.
Darcus thought aloud, ‘It’s natural to sympathize with the artist, but as a record label, you’ll always have different priorities.’
He shared that Mutya had completely lost her passion for performing and had told him she was finding it difficult to be in the band. He admitted he hadn’t understood what postpartum depression was at the time, and now wishes he’d simply asked her how she was doing emotionally.
Mutya, 40, ended up leaving the band just five months after giving birth.
Even more recently mental health issues have impacted girlbands.
Perrie Edwards of Little Mix shared that as the group gained fame after winning The X Factor, social media became very popular at the same time, unfortunately leading to a lot of online harassment.
Perrie admitted she began to feel insecure, questioning her talent and appearance. She explained that people often dismiss her feelings by saying she knew what she was getting into when she chose this career.
‘I wanted to be singing for people not trolled. I didn’t want that, I didn’t sign up for that s**’.
Trolling ramped up when Perrie started dating One Direction star Zayn Malik.
‘Social media was dark, it used to really hurt,’ she explained.
The couple became engaged, but their relationship ended in 2015. Perrie later shared how difficult it was, saying, ‘It’s painful enough going through a breakup without everyone else offering their opinions.’
People are naturally curious about your life and often act like they’re part of it – you can’t avoid that attention, so you might as well share your story.
Perrie wrote the hit song “Shout Out to My Ex” about her breakup with Zayn, and it became Little Mix’s biggest song ever.
Oh my gosh, when Perrie said that…it just hit me! It was such a huge deal for Little Mix, you know? But the fact that she was talking about how hard it was to go through all of that in public? It just broke my heart. She’s so strong to even talk about it, honestly. It really showed how much everything affected them, and it was just… a really raw moment. I felt so bad for her and the girls!
It was a really painful experience, and I struggled with a lot of things privately. It significantly affected my mental well-being.
In 2017, while the band was performing in Las Vegas, Perrie’s struggles with her mental health became extremely difficult to cope with.
Perrie admitted she really didn’t want to go. She was completely drained, and although she attempted to cancel the trip, she began having panic attacks once she arrived.
Looking back, I realize now I was completely unaware of what anxiety even was. It all just built up until I ended up needing hospital care. I honestly had no idea what was going on with me at the time.
I felt terrible about letting the girls down and didn’t want to disappoint them. It frustrated me that they had to manage without me, and I was really angry at myself for putting them in that position.
Honestly, it really got to me, and I ended up crying while explaining it. What I realized is that when you’re part of a team, you have to think about everyone, even when you’re personally struggling. So, I just tried my best to seem strong and not let it show how much I was hurting.
In the 1990s, how a girl group looked was extremely important, and members of the band Eternal have shared that they were pressured by music industry executives to lose weight.
Kéllé Bryan, age 50, remembers people frequently commenting on her and her bandmates’ weight. She said stylists would often tell them clothes didn’t fit.
We’re referring to a time when being extremely thin was considered ideal, and there was a lot of pressure on women to look like fashion models.
Kelle explained how the group’s management kept her, Louise Redknapp, and Easther and Vernie Bennett in shape. They sent them to a remote location where their meals were strictly monitored and controlled.
‘When I look back at it I think that was crazy, but that’s what they did.’
Racism also played a part when it came to promoting girlbands.
Mis-Teeq, a group created in 1999 with members Sabrina Washington, Su-Elise Nash, and Alesha Dixon, faced early challenges and didn’t receive the same level of industry support as their white counterparts.
Su-Elise explained that their PR firm tried to get them featured on magazine covers, but editors were hesitant, fearing that having three Black women on the cover would negatively impact sales.
It was deeply upsetting, and I refused to accept it. I wouldn’t allow it to haunt me, nor would I let it hold me back.
It was much harder for us to succeed because we weren’t a group of all white members, or even a group with one white member.
Even juggernauts such as the Spice Girls weren’t immune from criticism.
Noel Gallagher criticized the band, calling them a commercially driven operation focused on profit, and also accused them of dishonesty regarding their ages.
Responding to questions about the group, the Oasis singer playfully commented, ‘I wish them all the best. They’re young women – or are they really as young as they claim?’
‘I’ll tell you this, if Geri Spice is 24 then she’s going to look f***ing rough when she’s 30!’
Vivienne Westwood also criticized the group, claiming they encouraged a lack of originality and quality.
She explained that people are encouraging a competitive mindset – the idea that it’s okay to aggressively pursue success, even without natural talent, and to focus solely on personal ambition.
‘What people are marketing is disgusting behaviour.’
You know, it’s interesting watching pop culture history unfold. While it seems like everyone’s made peace with the Spice Girls over the years, I recently heard from All Saints’ Melanie that she still holds a little bit of frustration towards them. It just goes to show that even after all this time, old feelings can linger!
She explained: ‘I genuinely had a problem with them.
Looking back on All Saints, it’s clear all that hard work we put in really paid off – they skyrocketed to fame incredibly fast. Honestly, it felt a little…planned. The band wasn’t an accident; it was definitely created with a specific goal in mind, and it all happened very intentionally.
Asked what ‘girl power’, the Spice Girls’ signature slogan meant to her, Melanie scoffed: ‘Nothing!
We weren’t focused on romance or relationships; our priority was perfecting our singing and getting into the recording studio.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve always noticed a distinct difference between the way girl groups and boy bands are presented. It’s sadly been much more common to see female singers overly sexualized – meaning their image and presentation focused heavily on attractiveness rather than their talent – compared to their male counterparts. It’s a pattern I’ve observed consistently throughout the years, and it’s something we really need to talk about.
When Atomic Kitten first became famous with their single ‘Right Now’, the members were still teenagers. The song contained suggestive lyrics, including the line, ‘So come on baby do it to me good now. Do it to me slowly’.
Natasha remembered that they nearly weren’t permitted to sing the song on the ‘Live & Kicking’ show due to its lyrics.
I wasn’t really thinking when I spoke; I was just saying words, but the meaning was pretty clear, even if I didn’t realize it at the time.
Seeing my sixteen-year-old daughter performing like that would definitely surprise me, but things were just different when I was growing up. We weren’t focused on being glamorous or suggestive – we just had fun, jumping around in sneakers and jeans, and being a bit wild.
Our wholesome image softened the impact of the song’s lyrics, and surprisingly, it helped us get away with releasing it.
Natasha explained that when they toured as teenagers, they were largely unsupervised, and she felt they deserved more support and guidance.
She described it as an amazing experience, but also admitted they were completely on their own and got a little out of control without their parents around.
Looking back, I wish there had been more consistent supervision. My chaperone would take me back to the hotel at 9pm, but then she’d leave, and I’d end up going out again.
We had a lot of fun while it lasted, but afterwards, a sense of loneliness set in. I think that’s why we ended up drinking so much.
When Kerry Katona started dating Brian McFadden from Westlife, it caused problems with music industry executives, as the band members were all still very young.
Reflecting on the backlash, she mused: ‘They all went absolutely f***ing ape s**t.
‘They [Westlife] belonged to the fans, no one else is allowed to go near them.’
She shared a story about an encounter with Westlife’s manager, Louis Walsh, recalling him telling her, “I don’t like you, you’re trouble.”
‘I don’t like you either, I don’t f***ing work for you!’
Even though people expected them to break up, Kerry and Brian remained a couple, and Kerry soon became pregnant with their daughter, Molly.
She reflected on how young she and Brian were when they got together. She explained that dealing with the media attention and sudden fame was overwhelming, and all she really wanted was to get married, have children, and build a family.
She left the band and was promptly replaced by Jenny Frost.
Despite finding what seemed like a fairytale ending, Kerry’s happiness didn’t last. She later shared that her partner, Brian, eventually left her, and she struggled with drug use as a way to cope with the difficult time.
Kerry has openly discussed her past struggles with cocaine addiction. She’s been successfully sober for 16 years, following two periods of rehabilitation.
Kerry and Jenny, who took over from her, later became involved in a very public disagreement. However, in a documentary, Jenny stated she didn’t regret anything.
Jenny explained she didn’t pity Kerry, saying Kerry had made a clear choice. She wanted to be with Brian and start a family, and that was the life she decided to pursue.
‘Maybe she regrets leaving the band, whether she admits it or not.’
Another band that had troubles with their line up were the Sugababes.
The original lineup of the group saw several changes: Siobhán Donaghy was first replaced by Heidi Range, then Mutya was replaced by Amelle Berrabah, and finally Keisha Buchanan was replaced by Jade Ewen.
The frequent changes in personnel became a running joke, but manager Darcus insisted that new people could easily take their place.
He explained that he wasn’t concerned by the frequent member changes in the Sugababes, because sometimes the group’s overall popularity outweighs any single person’s presence.
Keisha leaving was the final blow for the band. With all three original members gone, the group felt more like a cover band than the real thing.
Keisha had been in the band the longest, but Darcus said problems started when the newest member, Amelle, was asked to work with Tinchy Stryder on the hit song ‘Never Leave You’.
After everything happened, Amelle explained she felt she needed to tread carefully around Keisha, as their friendship had changed. She understood why Keisha might feel overlooked, especially considering how long Keisha had been involved.
Keisha left the group the next month, and Amelle felt that her replacement, Jade Ewen – who had previously competed in Eurovision – happened very quickly.
She thought about it and said, ‘If I were Keisha, that would have really bothered me.’ She added, ‘I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, and I felt terribly guilty about it.’
Infighting also sparked the end of All Saints.
Nicole, Natalie Appleton, and Melanie reportedly felt resentful towards Shaznay Lewis, as she earned the most from the group due to being the primary songwriter.
Melanie mused: ‘The friendship and business took its toll on us.
Things were difficult, and we didn’t communicate well, but looking back, many of the big arguments could have been easily fixed. It’s frustrating to realize that now!
We broke up because we just weren’t getting along anymore. It was a really difficult and messy separation, and we had to divide all our belongings – it felt completely absurd.
One of the things we were most proud of as a band was deciding to break up – we weren’t motivated by financial gain.
We had reached a point where we both wanted to end the relationship, and we made that decision together, taking control of the situation. We were scheduled to go on tour, but we decided to cancel and return the money, which I’m really proud of.
‘It was one of the only decisions we were happy to make together, to tell each other to f**k off!’
As for Mis-Teeq, they had no say in the end of their group, with their record label going bust.
Su-Elise remembered a period of significant stress, explaining they were owed a large sum of money and found the situation unbelievable.
We were confident after our success in the US that finding another deal would be easy, but we were wrong.
Sabrina added: ‘It happened so quickly and then it was done.’
Alesha was offered a solo deal while Sabrina and Su-Elise were dropped.
This was a kinder conclusion to their careers than what happened with Eternal, who found out they were dropped by their record label through a fax.
Kelle remembered thinking things weren’t ideal, but she really wished someone had just been honest with her.
‘That’s all I could have asked for, to be told, personally.’
Girlbands Forever is available to watch on iPlayer.
For support call Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org
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2025-11-02 14:28