Claire Richards "wouldn't say boo to a goose" before having children.
Claire Richards
The 41-year-old Steps star has admitted that she didn't get her confidence until she became a mother to her two children, Charlie, 11, and Daisy, eight, whom she has with husband Reece Hill
Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz about her forthcoming song 'Brave' - which draws inspiration from her kids - she revealed: "When we sat down to write that all I knew is that I wanted to write a song with my children in mind either for them or about them
"It's about how they make me brave.
"It's a bit soppy but before I had kids, I was always a little bit stand in the background and I wouldn't really say boo to a goose, but I've kind of found my voice a little bit and it's because of them."
Claire - who has signed a solo deal with Sony Music for her debut album, 'My Wildest Dreams', which is released on November 2 - went on to credit her little ones for her newfound fearlessness.
She continued: "It's about how I will always be there for them, and be there protecting them, it's thanks to them that I'm brave enough to do that."
Meanwhile, the 'Deeper Shade of Blue' hitmaker recently insisted that her solo music does not mean the end for Steps and she is firmly committed to the group and her bandmates; Ian 'H' Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee and Fay Tozer.
She said: "I don't feel this is going to take anything away from Steps, it's very much an entity in itself.
"No single one of us is ever going to be bigger than Steps as a whole, I don't think.
"Everybody's been aware from the very start that this was my plan for the gap during albums.
It's actually been very good this time because there hasn't been the shock.
"I don't feel like there's anything that can damage that now, we're in such a good place.
"We've been through our ups and downs and our difficulties but I don't think that's there anymore.
"And we're all old enough and ugly enough to realise now that the only way to make it work is to be honest and be up front about everything."
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