| Hannah Spearritt | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hannah Louise Spearritt |
| Born | 1 April 1981 Great Yarmouth, England |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1994–present (Actress) 1999–2003 (Singer) |
| Labels | Polydor UK (US 2002), Interscope (US 1999–2001), A&M (US 1999–2001), Universal (US 2002) |
| Associated acts | S Club, S Club 8 |
Hannah Louise Spearritt (born 1 April 1981; Great Yarmouth, Norfolk)[1] is an English actress and singer. She was previously a member of the pop group S Club 7. She is also known for playing the role of Abby Maitland in the British drama Primeval.
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Spearritt was born in Great Yarmouth to Michael and Jenny Spearritt. She is the youngest of three children. Her sister is former model and fashion designer Tanya Spearritt. Her uncle, Eddie Spearritt, from Lowestoft was a professional football player who played for Ipswich Town F.C. in the 1960s.[2]
Spearritt and co-star Andrew-Lee Potts met when both were cast as lead characters on the ITV series Primeval and in February 2006 they started dating. In December 2008 they became engaged.
At the age of 3, Spearritt modelled in a Mothercare catalogue. When she was 12, she landed a part in the Lowestoft Players amateur dramatics society's production of Annie. Thereafter she successfully auditioned for the National Youth Music Theatre, and became part of the company.[1] While with the NYMT she met future S Club member and boyfriend Paul Cattermole, as well as her friend and future flatmate, actress Sheridan Smith. She appeared in the NYMT's productions Pendragon (1994–1995) — performing in New York and Hong Kong, Tin Pan Ali (1996), and the West End musical Bugsy Malone (1997) — she was a member of the original cast.[1]
In 1998 she got a part in the television film The Cater Street Hangman,[1] playing the part of a maid who gets murdered. She had also made appearances on the National Lottery Show and Blue Peter. While Spearritt was studying mathematics, performing arts and media studies at college in Great Yarmouth, she auditioned for S Club 7 after seeing an advert in a magazine.
Spearritt was a member of the pop group during the peak of their success, when they were known as S Club 7. The band scored hits with songs such as "Bring it All Back" from their first album and a Brit award for Best Newcomer.[1] They continued to please the public with singles such as "Reach", "Natural", "Don't Stop Movin'" (for which they achieved a Brit Award for Best Single). They also filmed four TV series, Miami 7, LA 7, Hollywood 7 and Viva S Club. At the end of their time together S Club filmed a movie called Seeing Double which received generally poor reviews. In May 2003, the group announced that they would be splitting up after they had finished their current tour.
Whilst Spearritt was a member of S Club she was a regular pin-up in dozens of magazines and was a regular in the FHM Top 100 Sexiest Women polls between 2000 and 2004.
On This Morning in early 2011, Spearritt said she would love to return to music.
In the last week of S Club's existence, Spearritt's management claimed she was at home in bed with the flu. She was actually in Los Angeles to audition for a role in the film Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, a fact that she revealed at the UK premiere of the film on 24 March 2004 in London. She got the role and three days after leaving S Club she began filming.
In March 2004, Spearritt successfully auditioned for a minor role in the horror Seed of Chucky, a movie which was seen by some as an attempt to distance herself from her squeaky clean S Club image.[3] Shortly after completing filming, Spearritt decided to take a break from show-business to travel and spend time with her family.
In early November 2005, she made her acting comeback in the BBC's Blessed, an eight part sitcom. In Blessed, she played a minor role, appearing as a member of a fake girl band in two episodes. December 2005 saw Spearritt appearing in the unsuccessful West End musical, Snow! The Musical, at London's Sound Theatre. The musical was canceled just three weeks into its run because of poor ticket sales - one show managed to attract an audience of only two people.[4]
In February 2006, it was revealed that Spearritt had landed a lead role in a brand new ITV series called Primeval. She plays the role of Abby Maitland, a reptile enthusiast who gets mixed up with time travelling Professor Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) after discovering a species of reptile she had never encountered. The series began on 10 February 2007.
In late 2006, Spearritt began filming for ITV1, for a guest part in Agatha Christie's Marple television mystery series.[5] The episode, entitled "At Bertram's Hotel", was broadcast on 23 September 2007.
In 2010, she made a cameo appearance in a short film, Bubble Wrapped produced by her partner.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Seeing Double | Hannah (Herself) | |
| 2004 | Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London | Emily Sommers | |
| Seed of Chucky | Joan | ||
| 2007 | Little Lilly in Chapter 1: Colour Blind | Little Lilly | Short film |
| Little Lilly in Chapter 2: Fish | Little Lilly | Short film | |
| 2008 | Little Lilly in Chapter 3: U Turn | Little Lilly | Short film |
| 2010 | Bubble Wrapped | Woman | Short film |
| Year | TV Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Cater Street Hangman | Lily | TV film |
| 1999 | Miami 7 | Hannah Spearritt (herself) | S Club 7 TV Spin-off series 13 eps |
| 2000 | L.A. 7 | Hannah Spearritt (herself) | S Club 7 TV Spin-off series 13 eps |
| 2001 | Hollywood 7 | Hannah Spearritt (herself) | S Club 7 TV Spin-off series 13 eps |
| 2002 | Viva S Club | Hannah Spearritt (herself) | S Club 7/S Club TV Spin-off series 13 eps |
| 2005 | Blessed | Girl Thing member | Ep. 4, Ep. 6 and Ep. 7 |
| 2007–2011 | Primeval | Abby Maitland | Main cast member |
| At Bertram’s Hotel | Tilly Rice |
| Year | Musical | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–2004 | Pendragon | Various (including New York) | |
| 1996 | Tin Pan Ali | Various (UK) | |
| 1997 | Bugsy Malone | Louella | West End |
| 2005 | Snow! The Musical | Jilly | West End |
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