STEPS singer Claire Richards was still a teen when she first realised her appearance mattered as much as her talent.
The wannabe star quickly learned that her belting voice wasn’t enough – she had to look the part, too.
When she auditioned for the group in 1997 as a slim size ten, Claire reveals she was told: “We love you, we want you to be in the band, but we need you to lose weight if you want to be in it.”
She says: “It wasn’t right then and it absolutely isn’t right now.
“But when you are young and you’re being offered that kind of opportunity – and the only stipulation is that you lose half a stone – I think any young girl would.”