S Club pay emotional tribute to late bandmate Paul Cattermole as they kick off UK tour

S CLUB paid an emotional tribute to their late band mate Paul Cattermole as they kicked off their UK tour at Manchester's AO Arena last night.

Paul was found dead at his home in Dorset on April 6 this year.

The heartbreaking news came just weeks after S Club 7 had revealed their plans to reunite to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Last night Jo O'Meara, Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee and Bradley McIntosh took to the stage up north.

At the start of the show - The Good Times Tour  - they played out a video of Paul performing their tune Good Times, as well as other precious clips from over the years.

Overcome with emotion, Bradley said: "That's our brother right there, man. Gone but you'll never be forgotten.

"We miss you every single day. You know what we've been through this last year," Bradley added later.

"It's been so tragic, it's been so sad. But we've got you guys. And we're here for you and we could not have done it without you guys."

S Club 7, which shot to fame 1998, was originally made up of Paul Cattermole, Jo O'Meara, Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh and Hannah Spearritt.

After Paul's death it was confirmed that his ex-girlfriend and former band mate Hannah would not be taking part in the tour.

The singer revealed in an exclusive chat with The Sun that her mental health deteriorated after Paul passed away.

Hannah said: "Will I ever ­perform with them again? I just don’t know.

"I’ve not spoken to any of them since I left, which is fine. I was extremely excited — we all were — to get back as a seven.

"But then Paul died and everything changed. It gave me time to reflect on whether it was the right thing for me to do.

"I’m really sad we aren’t in touch. They’ve gone their way and I’ve gone mine. I wish them all the best."

The band made no mention of Hannah last night and didn't reference that she was missing from the line-up

In May it was revealed that Paul had died of natural causes.

A spokeswoman told The Sun: “I can confirm that Mr Cattermole died from natural causes and our investigations have concluded.”

In July S Club released their first single in 20 years - These Are The Days - in tribute to Paul.

S Club will be performing in a number of other venues over the UK including Liverpool, Cardiff, Nottingham and London.