| H & Claire | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Pop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2002-2003 |
| Labels | WEA |
| Past members | |
| H Claire Richards |
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H & Claire were a pop duo, consisting of former Steps members Claire Richards and Ian "H" Watkins. They released one low-charting album and three top ten singles in 2002 before disbanding.
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Following the split of Steps on 26 December 2001, H & Claire formed the duo. The pair released their debut single "DJ" on WEA Records on 6 May 2002. Peaking at #1 on various club charts, the single debuted and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at #3, spending a week in the Top 10.
Their second single, "Half A Heart" followed on 12 August 2002, peaking at #8. Their third and final single release was a double A-side of an original song entitled "All Out of Love" and a cover of the Disney song "Beauty and the Beast". The single was released in November 2002 and peaked at #10, spending 3 weeks on the UK Top 40. Their debut album, Another You Another Me, followed. However, it peaked at #58 in the UK Albums Chart, and WEA Records soon dropped the pair.
Taking a break from singing to plan her wedding (a marriage which subsequently failed), Richards never recorded again with Watkins, and the duo dissolved in 2003. More recently, Richards has left a message on a website dedicated to her, stating that she is planning a return to a singing career in the near future.[1] In December 2006, she announced that she would be expecting her first child, and on 8 May 2007, she gave birth to a baby boy, named Charlie.
Watkins decided to take a musical theatre course at the Royal Academy of Music. He was filmed through the course and it was broadcast as a reality TV series, H-side Story, which followed him as he tries to make a new career in acting. At the end of the course Watkins passed his examination and graduated from the academy. He has since appeared in stage productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Cinderella, and Fame. On 3 January 2007, Watkins came out as gay in an interview with The Sun newspaper.[2] His interview was published the same day he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house. He finished in fourth place on Celebrity Big Brother 2007.
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