Rachel Stevens admits feeling 'pressure' to look a 'certain way' in S Club 7
Rachel Stevens has revealed feeling "pressure" to look a "certain way" as a young pop star in S Club 7.
The 44-year-old singer – who was voted FHM's sexiest woman of all time in 2014 – was a member of the hit group between 1999 and 2003.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, she said: "A lot of emphasis has been put on looks throughout my career and it’s so important not to do that.
“I guess when you’re in the public eye there is a pressure in general on how we look. You do see a lot of images of yourself and it creates pressure to be a certain way and look a certain way.
“And some days you feel confident in how you look and some days you don’t."
However, Stevens – who regularly posed for lads' mags in the noughties – noted that she wouldn't have any qualms about being photographed in her bikini again if there was the "opportunity" since she "loved" the creativity involved.
She said: "I could definitely see myself doing shoots like that.
“But it will be something different these days because mags like FHM were so of-the-moment. I don’t think it will ever be like that again.”
Stevens – who is now mother to daughters Amelie, 11, and Minnie, eight, with husband Alex Bourne – also opened up about the toll of being in a successful pop group on her mental health.
She said: "Emotionally and personally, a lot of feelings were pushed down because I had to have my show-business face on all the time."
In January, the recent Dancing On Ice star told The Sun that she was still dealing with the unhelpful coping mechanism of "sucking" everything up that she used while in the band.
She said: "I've spent a lot of time trying to learn to undo that. It's something I have to work on every day. I still speak to a therapist. That really helps."
Watch: Longstanding celebrity relationships
