All Saints think their close friendships caused their band to split.
The ‘Love Lasts Forever’ group – comprising sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton, Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis – went their separate ways after a series of rows in 2001 and in retrospect, they believe the fact they spent so much time together was a problem as they never had any breathing space from one another.
Melanie said: "We knew each other too well. We spent all our time together when we were working and when we weren’t. And I’d tell any other band never to do that."
Natalie agreed: "It started with stupid little things which just built up.
"And then communication broke down. We all had different struggles. I had a young child and I wasn’t around for her. No one else understood what it was like not to do the school run, not to be there. I get now why they didn’t, but it used to tear me apart."
Now they are back together, the quartet are all parents, with Shaznay having Tyler-Xaine, 12, and Tigerlily, nine, with husband Christian Horsfall, Melanie and estranged husband Stuart Zender parents to 19-year-old Lilyella and Nicole raising 17-year-old Gene with ex-husband Liam Gallagher.
And they have a better understanding of how tough Natalie – who has Rachel, now 26, from a past relationship, and Ace, 14, with husband Liam Howlett – found raising her daughter during their first chart stint.
Shaznay told her: "I don’t know how you did it back then. It was so crazy. I never appreciated how hard you had it as a mum. I’m so sorry about that."
After the band split in 2001, there was a division that saw Natalie and Nicole take sides against the others and Melanie found it particularly tough to lose her childhood friend.
She recalled in an interview with Stella magazine: "I found it really tough because Nicole had been my best friend since I was 11 and Shaznay was my teenage friend, and everything had changed. It was the worst and best time, I pushed myself to do things I never would have done, I moved to Ibiza, I was a mum."
The two sides didn’t speak for five years, then Natalie reached out and texted Shaznay, though to no success.
She recalled: "I was drunk. I just wanted to say: ‘Hey. I love you. I miss you.’ I didn’t have her number, but I remembered the pattern of the numbers on the phone. When I woke up in the morning there was no reply. Turned out she thought it was a crank text."
Then during a holiday in France, Nicole ran into Melanie and things were set in motion.
Melanie said: "That was it."
Nicole added: "We just started talking and laughing. We began to spend time together and forgot all the old tensions."
The ‘Never Ever’ hitmakers enjoyed a brief chart reunion in 2006, before getting together again two years ago and are having a great time.
Nicole said: "It’s so much more relaxed. We will never have that crazy success again, but people turn up to our shows and we really appreciate their support."
All Saints blame friendship for split
