"I'm a Bingo Geek"

Jo's return to the pop club


So, just where have you been for the last two years?

'I just took just took some time off. I wanted to get away from the whole industry for a while and live a normal life. I spent a lot of time with my family, I went on holiday and ditched the boyfriend.'


You had a pretty productive time then.

'Yeah. It was a very good time for me. And the last year I've spent getting the right team around me and working on the album.'


How does it feel now it's just you and you haven't got a group to hide in?

'It is very weird but it's cool because it's a new challenge. I'm one of those people who likes a challenge. Sometimes it's a bit lonely. It felt really peculiar the first time I sang my song on stage, but it's cool now.'


Was there ever a point in your time off that you thought about not coming back?

'Well, I did get lazy, I'm not gonna lie. But no, there was never a point where I didn't want to come back. S Club was such a successful thing and we worked so hard and we were so tired. After that I wanted a complete break and then come back when I felt ready in myself.'


There were rumours that you spent lots of time playing bingo. Was that true?

'You know what, it is true I do play bingo but I'm not a gambler which is what some papers said. When I was in the band the only way I could switch off was going to bingo with my mum and aunt. When you're playing bingo you gotta concentrate on your numbers, you can't think of anything else. It was my little escape I suppose. I'm a bingo geek. I can do 12 books at once. I'm so serious about it. No talking. I'm the one that shushes people.'


What do you think about what Rachel's doing at the moment?

'I think Rachel's doing really well and there's only been one song that I didn't like and that was 'Negotiate With Love'. But I loved the last one, 'So Good'. That was a wicked song.'


Are you still in touch with her?

'Yeah. I've not spoken to her for a while. The press thinks that we've had a big falling out but we haven't at all.'


Were you pleased with the way S Club ended? There didn't seem to be any hard feelings from anyone.

'It ended quite nicely and it was important. We went through so much together as a band and no one really understood the pressures we were under apart from us. There were never ever any fall-outs. We all left it on really good terms.'


What did you learn from your time in S Club that you're taking into your solo career?

'To appreciate everything. I never really did when I was in the band. We traveled around a lot and I'd be like, 'Oh, I've got to go to New Zealand tomorrow.' But I knew I was going there to work bloody hard and then get back on a plane and not see any of the country. We were so knackered that we didn't have time to enjoy anything. We won a BRIT award and we'd go 'Brilliant, anyway...' We didn't have time to think, 'Blimey, we've won a BRIT,' because we were already busy doing the next thing. I think anything positive that happens this time round I want to be able to step back and think about it and appreciate it more.'


Is it true you're going out with Ben Adams?

'Yes, it is. It's been going on for about four months.'


How did you meet?

'We met at a show in Telford and we just got chatting. He made me laugh and we swapped numbers and arranged to go out a couple of days later.'


Did you fancy him when he was in a1?

'I fancied the pants off him! But I was with someone then and Ben said that I was really miserable so he didn't really talk to me.'


Any duets planned for the future?

'Erm, ooh, I don't know. There may be a chance for it but there's nothing planned. We're just trying to enjoy each other at the moment. It's all still so new.'


What's the one thing about you that people would be surprised to find out?

'I'm a big softie. I think people think I'm quite tough because when I was in S Club my image was quite feisty but I cry at most things.'


When was the last time you cried?

'I rescue horses and I was driving in the car with my best mate and I saw these two foals in a field. It was burning hot and they had no water and their hair was hanging off of them and their skin was appalling and I sobbed. I knew I couldn't leave them there so I found out where they came from and bought them.'




That's amazing!

'I had to. The bloke who had them was only gonna sell them into the meat market. But you wanna see the foals now. I called one of them Rebel and the other one is Amber. I've been rescuing horses for the last three years and so far I've rescued 12 horses.'


Are you a soft touch with animals?

'I'm terrible. If there's a cat that's looking ropey then it's in my house getting fed. I've just had a cat flap put into my door and this little cat turned up one day out of nowhere and he lives with me now. I've called him Scampi. It's the ugliest thing you've ever seen. Ill-treated animals kill me. They can't speak and tell you what they're going through but I can kinda sense it. They are some wicked people out there.'


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