Rachel Stevens has signed up for Celebrity Masterchef. The S Club 7 star is the first celebrity confirmed for the BBC cookery competition, and she’ll compete against 19 other celebs to be crowned the winner. Hosted by John Torode and Gregg Wallace, last year’s series saw The Real Hustle star Alexis Conran romp to victory. Speaking of Rachel’s signing, a source told The Sun : “Rachel loves cooking and can’t wait to get into the kitchen. “She’s a keen amateur chef and won’t be going home without a fight.” This isn’t Rachel’s first celebrity TV competition, having also taken part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2008, when she finished in second place behind winners Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup. Rachel was also voted FHM’s Sexiest Woman of All Time in 2014. However, she may not do so well in Masterchef, as she’s previously confessed to being unconfident in her cooking skills. She previously told MailOnline : “‘I’m learning to cook. It’s not my forté, but I try and balance my portion sizes. “I love my carbs, especially in winter. I know it’s boring to say, but running after the kids helps me keep in shape. “Diets don’t work. I just eat healthily little and often. And I have a hardcore trainer who puts me through my paces. I’m like anyone else. Sometimes you feel great and other times you don’t.” *Celebrity Masterchef starts later this year
– mirror.co.uk

Rachel Stevens has hinted she could be set to swap S Club 7 for EastEnders. Cue fan meltdown. The star – who is mum to Amelie, five, and Minnie, two – revealed she’s been in talks with the BBC soap in the past for a cameo role, as she looks to expand her TV career further. Speaking at Disney On Ice’s Silver Anniversary Celebration at The SSE Wembley Arena in London, she told The Sun: “There’s been talks about EastEnders in the past, which would be really fun to do a cameo role in, or something that would be unexpected or different.” Rachel admitted her previous commitments to the band, and later their reunion tour last year, have so far prevented her from branching into the soap. So could this be the start of her journey? She added:”I would love to get back into acting. Definitely. Things have come up in the past but it’s always been a timing thing, like when we were on tour.” Describing EastEnders as her “local”, the star said as it’s so close, it would be “perfect”. However an EastEnders spokesperson told Mirror Online: “There are no current plans”. Meanwhile, the brunette beauty has had a stab at TV as she mentors on The Voice of Ireland. And aside from soaps, she admitted she’d love to join the UK show in the future.
– Mirror

| 05 | You March 2016 / Kenny Whittle (Rachel – Photoshoot/Scans)

The Voice of Ireland is back. Returning to the coaching panel and spinning the red chairs are Kian Egan and Bressie , and the girls, the Saturdays Una Foden of Saturdays fame and pop princess Rachel Stevens who rose to popularity as a member of S Club 7. When I caught up with Rachel she is just back from her holidays in the Maldives. She said: “Oh my God it was paradise, but I loved getting back as I love Christmas so much. “I’m a real home girl and my two girls Millie, five, and Amelie, who’s 22 months, were so excited for Santa.”
From a mentor’s assistant on X Factor New Zealand to coach on the Voice, Rachel is passionate about giving advice on the music industry She added: “It’s not just on talent shows, it’s a tough business. To make it and be really successful, you need to have the right team around you, be so determined and driven. It’s so cut throat and hard. “But on shows like the Voice it’s a great place to start as it gives you an amazing experience and a platform, being on TV, being in front of live audiences. Once you do that show you can do anything.” “It’s been great this time around not being the new girl, and the guys are great banter. We get on so well, there’s some really great talent.” With the blind auditions, the battles and the boot camp in the bag Rachel concedes the talent was so immense this year it was a tough call on who to send home. She said: “It came down to literally that night and sitting in the chair thinking, ‘Oh my God I really don’t know what to do, because they were so good and you just have to go with your gut instinct. “We really are like one big happy family the lads are both pretty fair and really honest. Kian is sometimes like a snappy dog but he’s really good fun. “Myself and Una are very similar. We both have two kids and we’ve both come onto the show with similar backgrounds and we’re also very different in our musical taste and fashion sense and it’s been so cool working with her. “We all get competitive and we all want to win, but at the same time you want the best person to win whoever’s team they’re on. I think we all feel that way.”
Living in London has not affected Rachel’s dedication to how her acts. She added: “I get sent everything they’re doing and I can give my feedback on email so I don’t feel that it’s difficult to mentor from abroad.” A self-confessed foodie Rachel reveals she likes the fare in the Marker Hotel in Dublin where she stays when she’s working on the Voice. She admitted: “One Pico’s fab, I loved it there.” Her work comes second to her girls Amelie and Millie who are both technology mad. Rachel said: “Oh God, Amelie loves the iPad so we try not to let her go on it too much but there are some amazing apps now for kids it’s crazy. “Amelie started school back in September. The night before I was so nervous it felt like it was my first day at school, sending them out into the big bad world. It’s such a change for them but she’s loving it, she’s ready for it.”
Despite being a popstar, a talent show judge, and an actress, the 37-year-old feels the same pressures as every other busy working mom. She said: “My New Year’s resolution is to be more organised, because my work is so up and down. Sometimes I’m crazy busy and then not so much, it’s just juggling work with the kids I just really have to be super organised.” Thankfully hubby Alex Bourne is hands on: “He’s great I can leave him with the kids when he’s not busy working at his property company and know that
everything’s going to be done.” “I do have a cleaner but I’m constantly picking up after the kids though anyway. “We’re childhood sweethearts – we were together when we were 13. We’ve got some video footage that was shown at our wedding when we were at his Bar Mitzvah. “I have this big curly permed 80s hair and he’s got these curtains for trousers and it’s like that scene from Friends when they go back in time and I have that big puffy dress. It’s hilarious.” The pair rekindled their relationship when bumped into each other on the street when Rachel was 29 and Alex was 30, and started dating again – and the rest is history.
Coming second in Strictly Come Dancing in 2008 meant that Rachel was asked back on the tour last year. She said: “Being on the show was gruelling and you work so hard and you’re so invested in it. Jay from The Wanted was brilliant this year. “The dancing is the most amazing workout ever, I love my food and I don’t go to the gym, I just dance. It was a pretty amazing opportunity. Going back on the S Club reunion tour last year was just like going back in time: “We’d do the show then get on the bus and all have a drink, a lot of old banter came back. “There were never any bust ups, if there was any arguing it was all brother- sister type stuff. “Even though we were all so different we go on really well, so this time round we were a bit older and wiser, things go over your head a bit more. “Amelie, Millie and Jo’s little boy Lenni came to the rehearsals and they were like our little mascots. It was really lovely.” Touring with S Club and being a mentor on the Voice has given Rachel a taste for recording again and following the success of her last solo album Funky Dory she’s in talks to produce another record.
In 2014 she pipped Cheryl Fernandez Versini and Jennifer Lopez to the coveted title of FHM’s sexiest woman of all time. She said: “I’ve just done an interview for FHM as they are closing sadly. I’m dining out on that title forever. “Imagine I was pregnant when I won the sexiest woman of all time. It was a great feeling as I was feeling my least sexy ever. I remind Alex of it a lot, I should just get the awards framed and have them all over the house to show the grandkids.” Rachel is looking forward to bringing the family to Ireland to see the sights when she’s back over for the Voice. Does she think she has the winner? “Yes I feel I have the winner”, she laughs, “I’m very excited about my team and I think I have some really great talent it’s really strong and that makes for a very exciting show.”
– Irish Mirror

Rachel’s second special for The Vault, Rachel Stevens: My Career In Music premieres today at 3pm. Don’t miss it!

Well, what a year it’s been… wow! I can’t believe how quickly it has flown by! It’s been non-stop since the beginning of January and I couldn’t be more grateful for all of your support along the way. From Strictly to The Voice, to the Bring It All Back tour and beyond, you’ve all been brilliant.

This time last year I was putting in all of the final preparations for the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special with the lovely Tristan and was about to go on my second tour with Kevin and the Strictly Come Dancing family. I was so lucky to have been able to extend my Strictly experience – a magical (and very sparkly!) time with a fabulous cast and crew – not to mention the best way to get in shape before touring the UK.

The Voice kicked off in back in January and I’ve been made to feel like one of the family so a BIG thanks to everyone there and also to last year’s #TeamRachel for making my first season on the show so unforgettable. I can’t wait to introduce you to #TeamRachel 2016… the count down to the new series begins, so make sure you tune in! I’ll be back in Ireland very soon – always a pleasure!

I couldn’t sum up this year without mentioning the Bring It All Back Tour… I’ve had time to reflect on the tour since the shows ended and I couldn’t be happier that we were able to perform for all of you again after 13 years apart. If it weren’t for you, the tour would have never have happened, so a HUGE thank you to everyone who came down to watch and party with us – I can’t thank you enough. Being back with the guys was very special, at times emotional and an experience I won’t forget.

My year has been topped of with a fantastic trip away to the Maldives with the family to spend some quality time together before 2016. But more about my trip in the new year..!

I feel very lucky to have made such wonderful memories in 2015 and Christmas for me is definitely a time of reflection. I think of all of the wonderful families that I met whilst in Florida with Caudwell Children and how privileged I was to have spent such a magical time with them. My heart and thoughts go to all of the families that I met, for what will be for some a really difficult Christmas. Trips like that really do stay in your memory and make you realise how precious life really is. I have also been thinking a lot about my incredible trip to Ethiopia with WaterAid too and meeting the lovely Ajame and her family, who really touched me. Earlier this year I found out that one in five newborn baby deaths are due to infection caused by dirty water and an unsafe environment and one child every minute dies from diseases caused by dirty water and poor sanitation. As a mum these horrifying statistics really struck a chord with me which is why I’ve been supporting WaterAid’s #DeliverLife appeal which aims to help 130,000 mums and families get clean, safe water – an incredible campaign with an incredible goal. What makes the campaign even more fantastic is that the UK Government are going to double all of the money donated up to the 10th February which means twice as many mums and babies can be helped. More on this next year too.

I’ve seen first hand what an incredible difference our money can make to WaterAid and Caudwell Children, so please, if you can, support to these two fantastic charities, all of the families that they help and I would be so grateful.

After a really knock-out year, all that’s left for me to say is… Have the most FANTASTIC Christmas and New Year!!!

I hope that all of your wishes come true and that 2016 will be the best year yet to come. I can’t wait for 2016!

Lots of love,

Rachel xx

| 01 | WaterAid (Rachel – Photoshoots / Scans)

The beautiful Rachel Stevens is here to bring you all her christmas party pop hits right now on The Vault!!

Air Times:
Dec 1st – 15:00
Dec 2nd – 11:00
Dec 3rd – 14:30,19:30
Dec 4th – 16:30
Dec 5th – 15:00
Dec 6th – 18:00

The magazine that made Rachel their sexiest woman of all time and featured her and the other S Club ladies several times is closing.