Claire Richards participated in the Steps lineup auditions. She had to lose weight before they would let her join the group. The creators of “5, 6, 7, 8,” Steve Crosby & Barry Upton, together with Manager Tim Byrne, created Steps after auditioning candidates who had replied to an advertisement in The Stage.
She joined the group in 1997 together with Ian “H” Watkins, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer, and Lee Latchford-Evans. The band enjoyed considerable international success during the next five years. Steps were reformed in May 2011 for the four-part Sky Living documentary series Steps: Reunion.
The series debuted on September 28 following the announcement of a second greatest hits album, The Ultimate Collection, which was released on October 10, 2011. This was the group’s third album to accomplish so, and it debuted at the top of the charts.
Is Claire Richards still in Steps?
After leaving their final tour during the final leg, Richards and Ian “H” Watkins continued to play together as a duo under the moniker H & Claire. The duo became well-known after their debut track, “DJ,” peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and their succeeding two singles, which both reached the top 10.
The duo’s 2002 album Another You, Another Me scored poorly on the charts despite their initial prominence. Richards hosted SMTV Live in 2002 alongside Tess Daly and Brian Dowling. She suspended her singing career in order to plan her wedding to Steps dancer Mark Webb. H & Claire separated in 2003.