S Club reveal late bandmate Paul Cattermole was the ‘happiest they’d ever seen him’ amid the group’s comeback before his tragic death

S Club has revealed that his late bandmate Paul Cattermole was “the happiest he’s ever seen” before his sudden death from heart problems in April aged 46.

The group, which now consists of Bradley McIntosh, 41, Rachel Stevens, 45, Jo O’Meara, 44, Tina Barrett, 46 and Jon Lee, 41, recalled how excited their friend was about the group’s return during an appearance on Scott Mill’s Radio. 2 show on Friday.

Jo said: “I was so happy, I was so excited about this reunion and it’s spinning and buzzing like a little bee.”

‘This time was the happiest I’ve ever known, I was in such a good place.’

The band, which is releasing new single These Are The Days in their honour, thanked fans for “keeping them going” during the grieving process.

RIP: The group recalled how excited their friend was about the group’s return during an appearance on Scott Mill’s Radio 2 show on Friday (John pictured in February)

They also explained how Paul’s death had brought them together, saying their memory was driving them as they “channeled their excitement” into the upcoming tour.

Jon said: “(Paul’s death) made us prioritize too, what would have bothered us before let’s not do it now because life is so short.”

And Rachel added: “We can’t wait to go out (on stage) and celebrate, (Paul) will be a huge part of this tour.”

During the appearance, the foursome made no mention of Hannah Spearritt, 42, who dated Paul in the early 2000s, suddenly leaving the group after his death.

It comes after the band appeared on Magic FM on Thursday and explained how it took them “months to come to terms” with Paul’s tragic death.

The accompanying music video for their comeback single shows a montage of Paul over the years with Jon saying, “It was really emotional (recording) but at that point we’d had months to come to terms with what had happened.”

“And we realized how lucky we were to have that time with him, and everything we did with him was on film.”

The band released the song, their first single in 20 years, on Wednesday and discussed what it was like to be back in the spotlight.

Memories: Jo (bottom right) said: “I was so happy, I was so excited about this reunion and it’s spinning and buzzing like a little bee.”

Back in the spotlight: The group, who are releasing a new single These Are The Days in their honour, have thanked fans for ‘keeping them going’ during the grieving process

Back together: They also explained how Paul’s death had brought them together, saying his memory was driving them forward as they “channeled their excitement” into the upcoming tour (pictured in 2000)

Bradley, who was once known for his athleticism, quipped: “Black flip-flops are out.”

With Tina adding: ‘We’re already 40 years old!’

They went on to say that their wild partying days were now behind them and that they would enjoy ‘a bath and a bed’ after their tour shows instead of wild parties.

“The recovery period (from the party) is too long right now,” Bradley said.

The moving music video pays tribute to Paul while documenting the many happy memories of his long career.

As the remaining five members of the band flip through a memorabilia photo album, each shot becomes a video clip of the band as they rose to fame and hit the pop charts.

Coroners found that Paul died of a “cardiac arrhythmia, acute myocardial ischemia, and severe coronary artery atheroma and intraplaque hemorrhage.”

Emotional: Coroners found Paul died of ‘cardiac arrhythmia, acute myocardial ischemia and severe coronary artery atheroma and intraplaque hemorrhage’

Missing: During the appearance, they didn’t mention Hannah Spearritt, 42 (pictured), who dated Paul in the early 2000s, then suddenly left the group after he passed away

The group announced their 25th anniversary reunion in February and have now named the tour, which kicks off in October, The Good Times Tour, after one of the tracks Paul provided lead vocals on.

speaking to SunRachel said that the band is now closer than ever and they have come together over their grief.

Jo added that the band feels it’s important to remember Paul for the ‘goofy’ bandmate he was and will be paying tribute to him on tour.

“Smiles have replaced tears, in a very positive way,” he said.

While filming the accompanying music video, they explained that they saw a butterfly that they believed to be their late bandmate.

Tina told the publication: ‘There was a butterfly. We were all sitting down and a butterfly came out of nowhere. It was a really bright and beautiful butterfly that flew down and left. I don’t know why, but I thought, “That’s Paul.” He came from nowhere.