Jo O'Meara
Joanne Valda O'Meara, better known as Jo O'Meara, was born on 29 April 1979 in Romford, London. She is an English singer and TV personality. Jo is best known for being a member of the pop group S Club 7 from 1999 to 2003, a group that later reformed in 2023 as S Club Allstars.
Early life and training
Jo grew up in Collier Row, Romford, with her parents Dave and Barbara and siblings Shane and Julie. She was talented in music, acting, and dance and earned a full scholarship to the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, where she impressed teachers with her performance of Summertime. She started in girls’ groups, including Solid HarmoniE, and also spent time with a German rap group called 2-4 Family.
Rise to fame with S Club 7
Jo was discovered by the S Club 7 team while performing in a country and western bar after moving to Essex. The group became very popular, scoring multiple UK No. 1 hits, selling millions of albums, and starring in their own TV show, which aired in many countries. They won Brit Awards and were well known around the world before disbanding in 2003.
Solo career and television
After S Club 7 split, Jo pursued a solo career. She released her debut single, a cover of What Hurts the Most, in 2005, and followed it with the album Relentless. The project received mixed reviews and she left Sanctuary Records before the album had its full support. In 2006 she appeared on the BBC show Just the Two of Us, finishing in third place. In 2007 Jo appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, where she and other contestants faced heavy media attention and criticism.
Later years and S Club projects
In 2008 Jo joined a spin-off group called S Club 3 with Bradley McIntosh and Paul Cattermole. They performed across the UK, and an incident in Bradford where a bottle was thrown led to hospital treatment for Jo. She later contributed to projects such as a 2012 cover of In a Broken Dream with the band Popes and performed again with S Club members during reunion events.
Reunions and new music
Original S Club members regrouped for performances in 2014 and again for a 2015 tour. Jo continued to work with fellow former members as S Club 3 and later joined the S Club Allstars after the group’s lineup changed in 2020. In 2021 she released unplugged versions of Don’t Stop Movin’ and Relentless, and her second solo album, With Love, came out in August 2021. She signed with Saga Entertainment in 2022 and performed a cover of Creep at the London Palladium. That year she also helped raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital with a new version of Thriller.
In 2023 S Club announced a 25th‑anniversary reunion tour, with shows in the UK, Ireland, and plans to take the tour to Canada and the US in 2024.
Personal life
Jo had a son in 2008 after separating from her partner Bill Slate.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:34 (CET).