Jo O’Meara has opened up aboutS Club ’s upcoming UK tour and has revealed their plans to “honour” Paul Cattermole following his tragic death earlier this year.
Paul passed away in April at the age of 46, just weeks after the band announced touring plans to celebrate their 25th anniversary as a group. In his memory, Jo alongside bandmates Bradley McIntosh, Jon Lee, Rachel Stevens, and Tina Barrett, will “celebrate” his life asthey complete the 15 date tour.
Speaking ahead of the reunion tour, which will kick off next month in Manchester, Jo told OK! that their time on the road would be “emotional” given the circumstances.
“Paul was so excited for the tour, so it's very important that we honour him. He's with us all the time, he’s with us every day, so there's going to be some emotional moments during the tour,” she said. “We want to celebrate how amazing Paul was and do the very best job that we possibly can.”
With the band forming back in 1998, it’s clear that Jo, 44, is more than grateful to be able to entertain huge crowds all these years on – andthe group even released their first new song ‘These Are The Days’ in two decades in July.
“We're so humbled that 25 years later we're in a position where we can still do arena tours. I think the secret to it is the music,” she said. “I don't think you can ever beat that feeling of stepping on stage and seeing the fans that have been supporting you for all that time. It's quite a moving moment.
“Hearing people sing your songs back makes you go cold. It's an atmosphere that you can't explain. It's just unbelievable. We're so lucky and very grateful and our fans have been absolutely amazing.”
While Jo may be known for her incredible vocals and dance moves, away from her time on stage she is passionate about wildlife conservation and the star recently visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park where she filmed the three-part documentary series, No Ordinary Zoo.
As part of the series, Jo went behind the scenes with her friend Cindy Lou to see how the park operates. As huge animal loves, the pair got stuck into everything from feeding the sea lions and crafting enrichment activities for the lemurs.
“Ever since I can remember, animals have always been a big part of my life. Before I was ever going to be a singer, my dream job was to be a vet,” she said.
“The best part about going behind the scenes with Yorkshire Wildlife Park was seeing the hard work that goes on. There's so much work that goes on to make a park of that scale run smoothly – every single staff member was so committed and passionate. I found it really inspiring.”
And after filming the documentary, Jo is keen to share what she discovered.
“Hearing about the conservation work going on was amazing because the way the world is going, I don’t think we’re taking good enough care of these animals. Before long, they're going to become extinct and we will only ever be able to see him in a book. That's a very heartbreaking and sad reality,” she said.
“My message is we've got to look after the animals, look after the planet and respect the animals. We need them and they need us.”
No Ordinary Zoo starring Jo O’Meara at the award winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park is out now. View all three episodes here.
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