S Club star Jo O’Meara talks about his gambling addiction for the first time

Jo O’Meara shot to fame topping the S Club 7 chart at the age of ninety, but the singer says she’s addicted to fruit machine gambling as a ‘form of escape’

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S Club 7’s Jo O’Meara discusses past gambling addiction

Jo O’Meara first spoke about his gambling addiction at the age of ninety in the pop group S Club 7.

The talented singer, 43 years old, has become known as a chart-topper, who has won four UK singles.

However, Jo is dealing with a gambling addiction, which she says is a way to get rid of the “stress” of being in the band.

Speaking to GamCare with former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton and his wife Steph, the mother of one child admitted she had suffered from an “illness”.

“I was a young girl in a very successful pop group and I had a little interest in fruit machinery,” she explains.

“I think I used it as a way to get out of stress and be in the band and I would forget about everything.

“It actually makes you pretty antisocial because I can go out with a bunch of friends or whatever, then I’ll go to the motel and be missing for years.”

Jo also spoke about her addiction on Lorraine This Morning.

“It has become a minor problem. With the band, being so busy and busy, I just use it as an escapism to get away with myself for a bit,” she explains.

“When we travel around the county, it’s like ‘Where’s Jo?’ People will know – ‘Oh, she’s on the fruit machine.’ But that’s just what I did.”

Jo revealed she first went to the bingo room with her family at the age of 18 when she started playing on the fruit machine.

At first she didn’t see the harm in what she was doing, but after 5 years realized a “gambler never wins”.

“I don’t think I realized it was an addiction until quite recently, if I’m being honest,” she says.

“It will help me forget about everything for a while, because all I can focus on is the task at hand, catching three goblins or three lemons in a row.”

“It’s not about money but about trying to beat the machine to get what I want. It’s echo.”

Thankfully, Jo was able to detox and did not relapse even after a trip to the gambling mecca Las Vegas.

However, she explains that most people think of gamblers as old men, but points out that it can “happen to anyone”.

The news first broke about the star’s plight in 2000, however Jo said she was “annoyed” when people called her an addict.

“I don’t really like it being labeled a gambling addiction because I’ve never seen it like that and in many ways I don’t see it as much, but I can see that I have a problem with it. it and me Think if I let it go and I don’t get rid of it, it could have gone a lot further. “

Summing up her advice for anyone with a gambling addiction, Jo concludes: “Pick up the phone and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

GamCare operates a National Gambling Helpline on the Freephone 0808 8020 133 or via web chat at www.gamcare.org.ukprovides information, advice and support to anyone affected by problem gambling.