Jo O’Meara breaks silence after being rushed to hospital to make sad announcement
POP star Jo O’Meara told fans she is "beyond upset" as she pulled out of a performance at Fife Pride to have back surgery.
The S Club 7 singer was rushed to hospital in agony last week and has revealed she needs an urgent op to prevent further damage.
The 43-year-old said on Instagram: "I am so devastated and sorry to announce that I will not be able to attend @fifepride on Saturday.
"As you may well know I have had some health issues with my back recently and it has resulted in me needing surgery to remove a disc and fix the problem.
"The pain has been unbearable, and I have been advised surgery is now my only option And been told this is something that’s needs doing urgently to prevent further damage to my back!
"So I will be going in for the procedure tomorrow! I am beyond upset to be missing out on such a special day, and I am so so sorry 😢 I hope you all understand that this decision was very hard 😓 but I must put my health first at this time!!
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"Sending you all so much love and please make sure to Reach for those Stars. Lots of love, Jo ⭐️ ❤️."
It comes as Jo shared a before and after photo as she revealed the impact quitting booze and cigarettes had on her appearance.
She wrote at the time: "Just goes to show you [what] dedication can do!
“Eating clean, training hard, quitting smoking, and quitting alcohol! I feel like a different person!”
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Jo shot to fame in 1999 with the pop band S Club 7, alongside Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Rachel Stevens and Hannah Spearritt.
The group released their first single, Bring It All Back, in 1999 with the song going straight to Number 1. They went on to have four UK No1 singles and a UK No1 album.
The band also had TV shows including Miami 7 and Viva S Club before splitting in 2003.
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Despite being considered the strongest S Club vocalist, Jo's first attempt at a solo career flopped soon after the band disbanded.
In 2007, the singer was at the centre of Celebrity Big Brother's race storm when she, Jade Goody, and Danielle Lloyd were accused of racist and bullying behaviour towards fellow contestant Shilpa Shetty.
