The Bold & The Beautiful

We chill on the beach in LA with Rachel and Bradley S Club to talk romantic rumours, being sexy and what it's like to feel superhuman...


There's something a little special about S Club 7. They ooze sex but never go over the top. They've been over us for years and even have their own TV show but no one's ever accused them of being over-exposed. They've had their share of tabloid scandal and although slightly dented, their reputation is still sparkling. And since the dancefloor devastation that was Don't Stop Movin', they're the pop stars that all the cool kids - and their big brothers - are into. Other bands might be labelled flop stars, but S Club 7 are the sophisticated survivors of the pop - and we just can't get enough of 'em.

Today we're at the beach in sunny LA with Rachel and Bradley who have taken a few hours off from filming the band's new series for our glamorous cover shoot. A crowd of American fans watch in awe as the tanned pop stars strip off for the camera while the other S Clubbers sit on the sand chatting, eating hamburgers and enjoying the opportunity to chill and sunbathe.


Foxy lady

Looking at Rachel's perfect frame, it's easy to see why she's on every magazine's Sexiest Woman list. She's wearing barely-there make-up and is dressed casual cool (she shops in Camden Market and Diesel for funky jeans and T-shirts), but she's a natural beauty and positively glows as she poses for the camera. So how does she feel about having so much attention for her looks?

"It's really weird. Of course I like it, it's flattering, but I'm shocked by it," she smiles. "If I could change anything, I'd love to be tall with nice long toned legs. I have hang-ups like everyone else."

Looking at her, though, you wouldn't think she's ever had a problem finding a boyfriend. And you'd be right. "I had a different one every couple of weeks and when I was about 14, everyone did," Rachel confesses. "It was a big thing, kissing under the stairs at school!" And who were her teenage heart-throbs? "I fancied Michael J Fox, George Michael and Jason Donovan like mad," she laughs, looking embarrassed. "But these days I prefer people like Jude Law and Matthew McConaughney. I used to think Scott Wolf - who played Bailey in Part Of Five - was gorgeous. I actually met him the other day in Sky Bar (LA's celeb-packed equivalent to the Met Bar.)"

Although she loves going out, Rachel's not much of a party girl as she was in her teens, preferring quiet nights out with friends to the mad clubbing of her school days. "I was more interested in going out with my friends than studying, which is bad," she says. "I always rolled my school skirt up to make it shorter and wore jewellery when the teachers told me not to. Very cheeky."

"It's funny thinking back to when I was 16, trying to get into clubs in the West End on a Saturday night," she continues. "I would put my heels on and try to look older. I can't imagine how I got in now!" And would she approach someone she fancied or wait for them to come to her? "I love meeting people but I'm quite an old fashioned girl, so I would never go up to somebody, it's not just me," she says. "I'm a bit of a flirt, though, in a harmless way. Funnily enough, I met my boyfriend at a club..."


Wedding belle?

Ah yes, these days Rachel's very much a one-man woman. In fact, she's been talking about how much she misses her actor boyfriend Jeremy Edwards all morning. You can't help thinking that he has something to do with the sparkle in her eyes.

"I love him to pieces. I've never met anyone who I've got on with so well. He's just lovely, so caring," she smiles, relaxing back onto the sand. "We understand each other very well. When we first met... you know when you just click? I felt comfortable with him straight away. It just works."

And could she clear up the engagement story that broke the heart of many red-blooded young males? "We're not engaged," she confirms. "I don't get upset when I read stuff like that. Jez and I were on a holiday at the time and we found the whole thing hilarious. All my friends and family knew it wasn't true."

But even if they're not ready to tie the knot quite yet, love is definitely in the air. "We went to Paris for New Year's Eve which was wonderful," she gushes. "Jez is so romantic. I'm really girlie, I love flowers and stuff, and I think it's important for the girl to make an effort as well - I buy him little presents."

Kids are on the agenda, too, but not before she's had her own singing career and starred in a few Hollywood blockbusters ("With Jez. That would be amazing!"). "I'd love to get married and have babies, that's very important to me," she says. "I can see myself with a family but I'm only 23 so I've still got lots to do before that."


Who da man?

Rachel might be the glamorous girl of the S Club crew but Bradley's the party boy. A budding DJ and producer, we'd vote him S Club 7 member most likely to stay out all night. ("I don't go to that many celebrity parties, though. I don't like wearing shoes, only trainers, so I'll only go to places that will let me in.")

He's all laughter and smiles today - the live wire of the group. Sitting down with a drink, he tells us about a dream he had last night. "Britney Spears was in it!" he says. "There were people around us and she didn't want to speak to anyone except for me. It was quite good. But she's not really my cup of tea."

So who does rock Bradley's world? "Beyoncé, with some bubble," he says immediately. Er, what? Not bubbly enough? The gorgeous, excitable Destiny's Child honey? "She just isn't lively enough for me," he insists. "She seems outspoken but she's not mad enough!"

How about normal girls - he must meet loads of them when he's out on the town? "They come up and pretend they don't recognise me ," he says. "I'll say I'm a labourer and they'll be like 'Oh no you're not!' It's funny. Sometimes they'll cling onto you, sometimes they'll be rude. My friends and I have found ways to deal with it, though."

And when he does find a lady he likes the look of, Bradley can be a bit of an animal. "I'm really bad, I don't hold back," he laughs. "And when I'm with my boys I feel like Superman sometimes. There's a song by Kurupt (hip hop artist) called Ain't S*** Without My Homies and that's just what it's like for me."

As he chats away, Bradley's easy-going attitude shines through. "Sometimes I'm too laid back because I don't really care about things like being on time," he admits. "I don't think about stressful things or take life too seriously."

The pressures of fame are taken with a pinch of salt, too. In fact, it's something that Bradley can live without. "I'm not too fussed about the limelight. I had a wicked time before I was famous," he laughs. "I'd never be rude or say no to a fan who asks for an autograph and I don't want to sound like an arsehole but it's difficult when people expect so much."


The rock steady crew

One thing he is passionate about is music, with fave artists including Usher, Sisqó and Biggie Smalls. Bradley's a bedroom DJ, with a pair of CD pecks at home. "I got into it because about a year ago we stayed at hotel in Germany with CD mixers in the bar upstairs. I DJ'd there every night," he explains. "I can use vinyl decks, too, but I buy so many CDs and I thought it would be quite cool to make mix tapes."

But making music is his real passion, which he does with his eight-strong crew of MCs and DJs back home, called Remaining Disciples. "I've got my own studio at home and write garage, hip hop and R'n'B tunes with my boys," he smiles.

So will that be the future for Bradley after S Club? Are Remaining Disciples the new So Solid Crew? You never know. "I might not try for a solo singing career," he explains. "I just want to concentrate on music. I've got so many ideas in my head. I'd like to write about the hard times as well as the happy times, get things out of my system, express myself."

"People say S Club are cheesy," he continues," but take Madonna, she was doing cheesy stuff at the start of her career. I see S Club as a building block, stepping stone. And I've learned so much from it."

And would he ever want to do more acting in the future? "With these guys acting's a laugh, but I doubt carry on doing it after S Club," he smiles. "If I did a film it would have to be a comedy. My favourite films are Airplane and Naked Gun, comedies that are stupidly funny. I watched the Emperor's New Groove and that was a wicked cartoon. I was on my own, just laughing my head off. You gotta see it! It's so funny."

Bradley launches into a description of his favourite scene as we all watch the waves hit the shore and a couple of daring fans come up to the band asking for autographs. Spirits are soaring, the sun is out and S Club 7 are on top form. We just can't wait for them to come back home. "It'll be one big party!" they assure us. We don't doubt that for a second.


Thanks so much to Eve for this!

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