Atomic Kitten’s Natasha Hamilton reveals she has quit the band after 26 years as she admits ‘the ride hasn’t always been smooth’

Pop star Natasha Hamilton has announced that she is quitting Atomic Kitten after 26 years.

The 42-year-old singer released a statement on Instagram on Friday, saying she wants to focus on her solo career.

In a lengthy statement, the mother of five wrote: ’26 incredible years, during which I have written so many wonderful chapters, but now the time has come for me to close the book on this.

‘The ride wasn’t always smooth, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I laughed and cried many times with the girls, experienced so many surreal moments and was blessed with a 26 year career – it was incredible and something I will always cherish.

“Since 2013, Liz and I have been on the nostalgia train, and since then we’ve been performing non-stop (aside from the global pandemic) where we’ve come back even stronger, with more demand for catchy pop songs.

The singer released a statement on Instagram on Friday saying she wants to focus on her solo career (L-R Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon and Natasha in 2000)

The band first launched in 1998, with Liz McClarnon, 43, and Kerry Katona, 43, completing the trio, before Kerry quit in 2001 after becoming pregnant with her first child and was replaced by Jenny Frost, 46, who eventually also left (photo on the far left in 2021)

“At the beginning of the year I didn’t know how to juggle being a Kitten while also trying to break through as a solo artist, but I gave it a try and I have to say, it was tough.”

She added, “Especially because I went from being a strong, powerful woman, building a brand new career, to a version of myself that I have truly outgrown.

“I’ve lived in two worlds and it’s been really hard to navigate both.”

Natasha explained that she will be performing her final Atomic Kitten this weekend “for the foreseeable future.”

She said: “AK was always there to pick me up and get me back on my feet, both mentally and financially – and that is something I will always be eternally grateful for.

“But for me, right now, this is what I need to do to be able to focus on all the things that mean a lot to me.”

Of her remaining bandmate, she said, “Liz, I wish you all the happiness and love in the world with your work and all the great things that await you in your life – it’s been one hell of a ride!!”

The band first launched in 1998, with Liz McClarnon, 43, and Kerry Katona, 43, completing the trio, before Kerry quit in 2001 after becoming pregnant with her first child and was replaced by Jenny Frost, 46, who eventually left too.

Natasha explained that she will be performing her final Atomic Kitten this weekend ‘for the foreseeable future’ (pictured with remaining Atomic Kitten member Liz in 2023)

Over the course of their career, the band sold 10 million records worldwide, with Whole Again becoming the 13th best-selling single of the 2000s.

In a lengthy statement, the mother of five wrote: “26 incredible years, so many wonderful chapters written, but now the time has come for me to close the book on this.”

Earlier this year, Natasha seemingly reignited her long-running feud with former member Kerry when she was asked about a possible full group reunion in the coming years.

Speak with The Daily Star she said: ‘Never say never, who knows what could bring us together again?’.

Before I don’t mention Kerry in the line-up, I would like to do something with myself again, with Liz [McClarmon] and with Jen [Frost] Who knows?’

“The door is always open so Jen can come back whenever she wants.”

MailOnline contacted Natasha and Kerry’s representatives for comment at the time.

In 2023, Kerry made a heartbreaking plea to her ex-bandmates, insisting they could put their ongoing feud to bed so they could be friends again.

Kerry wrote in her new! magazine column “life is too short” and she is “really sad” that she no longer talks to her band.

She wrote, “When something like this happens it reveals how I feel about my relationship with the Atomic Kitten girls.

“It’s really sad that we’re not talking. I contacted them so many times. Life is too short.’

She wrote, “When something like this happens it reveals how I feel about my relationship with the Atomic Kitten girls.

Natasha, who released her new single Edge Of Us earlier this year, reflected on her personal life in a rare interview on the My dirty laundry podcast and said her past heartbreaks have led to the “sickest, darkest feelings she’s ever felt in her life.”

But she said there was something incredible about “learning from her bad decisions” and learning how to take care of herself.

Natasha reflected on her personal life in a rare interview on the My Dirty Laundry podcast, saying her past heartbreaks have led to the “sickest, darkest feelings she’s ever felt in her life.”

Natasha is mum to son Josh, 20, with her bodyguard ex Fran Cosgrave, Harry, 18, with actor Gavin Hatcher, Alfie, 12, with ex-husband Riad Erraji, Ella, eight, with boy band star Ritchie Neville and Kitty, nine months with husband Charles Gay

Natasha is mum to son Josh, 20, with her bodyguard ex Fran Cosgrave, Harry, 18, with actor Gavin Hatcher, Alfie, 12, with ex-husband Riad Erraji, Ella, eight, with boy band star Ritchie Neville and Kitty, nine months with husband Charles Gay.

She said: ‘We are a blended family and sometimes I feel like people can’t fathom how to make something work that from the outside looking in and looks different or chaotic.

“They just can’t comprehend what they don’t know, but I’m sitting here with five wonderful children and my life has continued, blossomed and gotten better despite the trauma I’ve experienced in my personal life.

‘Have I ever wanted that? Of course not! God, you must be angry! I want to wish that on you someday, but I can’t live in the past.

“I’m never going to say I wish that didn’t happen. I’m not going to wish for my life. Everything has made me the woman I am today.

‘I’m probably more accepting than most people because I’ve been through a lot. I don’t judge anyone because of their circumstances. Absolutely not.

‘I judge people how they treat me. You know, how you show respect to people, like it’s about the important things.”

Speaking about how powerful her new single is, she said: “When you’re going through a breakup, from my experience, it’s probably the weakest and lowest thing you actually feel.

‘You get that feeling of a sick knot in your stomach, where you know you should walk away, but you have a lot to lose.