Remember S Club 7? They were a British co-ed pop group who came out with four number one songs and split in 2003. They had several seasons of a scripted television show (sort of in the vein of the Monkees) that aired on Nickelodeon. I remember watching it as a kid – there was always some silly conflict, and then they would break into song at some point. Great Saturday morning entertainment. Well, Rachel Stevens, one of the members, is getting married and not inviting her band mates to her wedding (she says that she hasn’t talked to them in years). Additionally, she makes fun of people like her ex-bandmate Jo O’Meara, who competed on Big Brother. Unfortunately for Rachel, she was on Strictly Come Dancing (the British equivalent of Dancing with the Stars) and attempts to defend this hypocrisy by saying that it’s a “totally different thing.”

Talking in Star magazine, she said. ‘It’s not because I don’t want them to but because we’re not really in touch any more. Our paths have gone in different directions.

‘It’s a celebration and you know, we just want all our closest friends and families and people we love around us and we can’t wait for the big day.’

She also pokes fun at one of her former bandmates who appeared in Celebrity Big Brother.

The one-time singer said she had turned down numerous offers to appear on reality shows in the past – unlike her former bandmate Jo, who was famously embroiled in the Big Brother race row two years ago.

Instead, she says she chose to star in Strictly Come Dancing because it gave her a chance to learn a new skill.

‘I don’t think Strictly was the same sort of league as those other shows. It’s a totally different thing.

‘For me, it’s not about being a celebrity, it’s about doing something and learning something and challenging yourself.’

Rachel, who finished as runner-up to Tom Chambers in last year’s Strictly, has revealed her frustrations with the band in the past.

Despite launching her career as a 19-year-old, she said of the group: ‘S Club was aimed at a very young audience and everything had to be smiley-happy all the time.’

‘It’s hard to feel that positive every day. I struggled with it. There were times when it was difficult to keep up that facade because I had problems in my life and I didn’t feel remotely happy.’

[From Daily Mail]

Oh, washed-up celebrities. Yes, maybe competing on a dancing show (and coming in second) is a little bit more admirable than just having your life filmed and doing stupid challenges (aka Big Brother). But they’re really just two kinds of apples; they’re both the same fruit. Each is in a reality shows featuring celebrities.

The most recent season of Dancing With the Stars features stars like Steve-O, Lil Kim, and Steve Wosiack, all celebrities who may not be A-list but aren’t entirely washed up. But I don’t think any of them would say that the show is anything other than what it is – a celebrity reality show. It irritates me when celebs aren’t able to see the big picture and figure out where they really fit into the scheme of things (see also Lindsay Lohan thinking she’s anything but a party girl).

Here’s Rachel Stevens (with Vincent Simone) at the ‘Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour!’ Photocall at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England on February 17th. Images thanks to Fame.com.