Jo O'Meara went into a "very dark place" after being involved in a racism controversy on 'Celebrity Big Brother'.
Jo O'Meara
The 42-year-old pop star appeared on the show in 2007, but was accused of being racist towards fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty during her time on the programme.
She explained: "There’s no excuse for what happened. All I could do was learn, grow up and accept what I did was wrong. I’ve changed so much as a person and want to start again.
"The whole time for everybody involved was horrendous afterwards – I can never apologise enough.
"Looking back, I can see how it must have come across.
"People may not have seen it first-hand, but behind the scenes I was severely punished. I went to a very dark place and was very unwell mentally for a very long time."
Jo shot to fame as part of S Club 7, and even though they haven't released an album in years, she's still frequently reminded by fans of her S Club past.
The singer feels "lucky" to have been a part of the chart-topping group.
Jo told the Daily Star newspaper: "I feel very lucky to have been part of S Club 7. Fans who we had 22 years ago are still around, so it’s a really lovely feeling knowing people still enjoy the music. It’s crazy that Reach is sung in school assemblies.
"S Club music was all about being positive and giving positive messages – that’s why it will stand the test of time.
"A little girl, who must have been about seven or eight, came up to me when I was walking the dog recently and said, ‘Are you Jo from S Club 7?’ It’s mad."
Tagged in S Club 7