Nineties pop pin-ups 911 have opened up about how they ‘lost the plot’ after the band split up as they prepare to head back out on tour together after a secret gig in Manchester tonight.
The Bodyshakin’ boyband’s split in 2000 left Jimmy Constable battling suicidal thoughts and drink and drug problems while Lee Brennan also suffered from depression.
Now, older, wiser and stronger, they are preparing to hit the road together with bandmate Simon ‘Spike’ Dawbarn for their 20th anniversary tour, which includes a date at The Ritz.
Jimmy, 43, told the MEN: “I lost the plot - depression, alcohol, contemplating suicide.
“It was all I ever knew for five to six years and then suddenly you realise it’s all gone.
“It’s that sudden change of lifestyle. You get up on stage and have all that adoration and then you wake up and realise all the people on the other end of the phone all the time weren’t really friends.”
Lee, 41, added: “What can you do after being on the biggest high of your life? That’s the most difficult thing for many people, that comedown.
“I never really got that back, I was down in the dumps and feeling miserable.
“It was tough. I was just searching for something I couldn’t find, to give me that high which I had in the band back in the day.”
The experience was one they shared with many of the other stars they took part in ITV2 reality show and tour The Big Reunion with, including Moss Side-born Blue singer Simon Webbe, who has previously revealed how he too struggled with drink problems and depression once the limelight faded.
“Almost everyone had a similar story - drugs, drink, depression. We all dealt with it in our own way,” said Lee, whose ex-wife, the B*witched singer Lindsay Armaou, also took part in The Big Reunion.
“I’m balanced now. I’ve found happiness within myself.”
Jimmy added: “That’s what comes with the experience of 20 years, we know what it’s about now. As long as I have my family and kids that’s the most important thing.”
The band, who notched up 10 consecutive top 10 hits in their heyday, will perform an eight-date UK tour this autumn, including an intimate show at The Ritz on October 15.
Spike, 40, said he couldn’t wait for the Manchester date, having first found fame in the city with Jimmy as dancers on The Hitman and Her, the late-night ITV show that also propelled Take That to stardom.
And he said the band would be feeling just as nostalgic as the audience.
“It was their best time but it was our best time too,” he said.
“It was just mental. There was such a buzz about boybands and pop music in general. It was such a fun time.”
Tickets to the show go on sale at 9am tomorrow, Saturday, March 7.
