Claire Richards reveals future of Steps amid group's 'rest'

What did you miss?

Claire Richards has said Steps is having “a little rest” and that she isn’t sure whether the band members will be reuniting next year.

The singers - Richards, Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian "H" Watkins – got together in 1997 and had a string of hits such as Tragedy and Deeper Shade Of Blue. They went their separate ways 14 years later, before reuniting in 2011 and then again in 2017.

However, last year fans were dismayed when it was reported that they would be taking some time to focus on solo projects. And Richards was quizzed about it during an appearance on The One Show.

What, how, and why?

The singer was on the BBC programme on Monday (May 13) to talk about her disco-themed show, Everybody Dance. One fan sent in a question, asking: “Will Steps be reuniting in 2025?”

“Oooh, do you know what?" Richards replied. "I’m not sure.”

“We are about to launch a musical, which opens in November in Birmingham, and we are kind of taking a break to let that breathe and let that do its thing,” she continued.

“We did quite a lot over the last few years, I think we released four albums in five years, or something. So we are just having a little rest and then we will come back together... We are nearly 30 years,” she added.

The star was also asked whether she was going to leave Steps “behind” her. But she insisted everyone was “safe” and that it wasn’t on the cards,

“No I’m not, I am not doing that again,” said the star, who was sporting pink hair on the TV show. “I have done it once, I don’t need to do it again. It won’t be happening again. We are all safe there.”

What else happened on The One Show?

Richards said she and her bandmates are not in the Steps musical, which is entitled Here And Now, but that it uses the band’s music. “We are not in it, it’s not about us so no-one has to worry about that,” she quipped.

The star admitted it was hard for her be objective about the show as it's a Steps musical, but that it was “funny”. “I think it’s good,” she said.

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