Steps star Claire Richards still worries about what people think of her-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Steps star Claire Richards tries not to dwell on negativity (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Claire Richards still worries about what people think of her but she’s learned to dismiss negative thoughts.

The 44-year-old Steps singer – who has battled eating disorders and seen her weight fluctuate between a size eight and a 20 in the past – says that while she is still concerned by negative comments, such worries are ‘more fleeting’ than they were when she was younger and in the spotlight.

When asked if she is happier than ever, she replied: ‘I think so. When I hit 40, my outlook changed. I am not 20 any more. When I was 20, I hated the way I looked and I was starving myself to look that way.

‘I still worry about what I look like and what people think of me, but it’s more fleeting than it was back then.

‘It doesn’t consume me any more because if people don’t like me by now, they’re never going to.’

Claire was even recently attacked online by a social media troll, and admits that kind of comment when she was younger would’ve ‘destroyed’ her and led her to ‘starve herself’ even more.

Claire (middle) with Steps bandmates Lisa Scott Lee, Lee Latchford Evans, Ian ‘H’ Watkins and Faye Tozer (Picture: Matt Crossick/PA)

The Steps singer – who has 15-year-old son Charlie and 11-year-old daughter Daisy with her husband Reece Hill – added to Bella magazine: ‘There was a horrible comment about my costume on Instagram the other day. If someone had said that to me when I was 19 or 20, it would have destroyed me and would have sent me even further down the path of starving myself.

‘It made me angry because there’s nothing I can really do about myself any more. I do what I do, I keep myself healthy and I’m not trying to attract a husband.

‘I’ve got one and he’s happy with me whatever I look like. I want to look good for myself.’

While Claire isn’t sure if her daughter Daisy will pursue a career in the spotlight, she admitted young girls are under a lot of ‘pressure’.

‘There’s so much pressure on girls especially to look and be a certain way and their idea of beauty is really distorted because of social media,’ she said.

‘I don’t know if showbiz is what she’ll end up doing, but I will most definitely be there to protect her.’

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