S Club 7's Jo O'Meara shares 'very painful' back op recovery: 'A rough few months'
Watch: Jo O'Meara tells Loose Women 'it's been a really rough few months' after back operation
Singer Jo O'Meara said her back has been ‘very painful’ since she had a major operation six weeks ago – the fourth in a series of procedures.
The ‘Former S Clubber’ turned solo performer admits the recovery has been a long and difficult process. "It’s been a really rough few months, to be honest," she told ITV’s Loose Women presenters.
"It's been very painful. I've had good days and bad days with it," she continued. "I think sometimes you've just got to soldier through it and then other times you just want to know how long the pain is going to last."
Read more: Jo O'Meara says she's 'grateful' she can walk as she hits back over pap pictures
The 43-year-old singer was admitted to Queen’s hospital in Romford for eight days after having part of a disc in her back removed.
The latest operation is the fourth in a series of procedures. She has had back issues for over 20 years but thinks the latest bout of trouble was triggered by a trampolining accident back in September. The incident made her back go into spasm with four bulged discs rubbing on her sciatic nerve.
Read more: What causes back pain and how to deal with it
Doctors operated at the time but three more operations have followed. O'Meara told The Sun that the latest one left her needing pain-relieving medication of up to 10 Co-codamol tablets a day, with even morphine providing little relief.
Her back has been a weak spot since 2002 when she first injured it in her 20s.
Read more: Jo O'Meara 'devastated' over 'worst pain yet' with back issues
When she first felt the acute pain again last November, she thought she was having a convulsion at first. Recalling the moment she awoke in agony at 4am, she told The Sun: "It was like someone had shot me in the bum. It was my right-hand bum cheek. My whole body went into shock. I thought I was having a convulsion.
"The first thing I did was call an ambulance," she continued. "I was sobbing and shaking."
Heartbreaking for someone renowned for her energetic dance moves in her S Club 7 days to classic hits such as Reach and Don’t Stop Movin’, the singer has been told she is likely to need months of physio, but she isn’t letting the recovery process hold her back.
On 6 January she posted a video to Instagram, captioned, "I cannot begin to express how excited I am to be getting back up on that stage. This will be my first solo show of 2023!"
She was in fact referring to an intimate gig at Pizza Express, Holborn, a little smaller than some of the sell-out venues she’s used to, but she added, "After the past few traumatic months it is just what’s needed!"
