Legendary girlband feud reignites as bandmember pulls out of explosive documentary talks
ATOMIC Kitten’s legendary feud has reignited after one bandmember pulled out of explosive documentary talks.
Liz McClarnon, 43, blindsided her former bandmates by refusing to reunite for Girlbands Forever, a new BBC Two docuseries produced by Louis Theroux’s company.
A follow-up to Boybands Forever, the series aims to take a deep dive into the rise and fall of some of the most iconic girl groups of the 90s and early 2000s.
Producers had hoped to reunite the full Atomic Kitten lineup, reaching out to Liz, Natasha Hamilton, Kerry Katona, and Jenny Frost – who replaced Kerry after her departure.
However, Liz has turned down the opportunity, a move that has left her former bandmates feeling disappointed and frustrated.
A source told The Sun: “Liz doesn’t want to do the documentary series at all.
“While she’s grateful for her time in the band, she has moved on from that stage of her life and has no interest in revisiting it, rehashing it or looking back.
“The other girls are really surprised by Liz’s decision though, as they are all keen to appear.
“It’s being done with a top production company and will be really well made, they don’t understand why Liz would pass up the chance to do it…
“The rest of them can still appear without her, but it’s not the same without one of the original members.
“The other girls think it’s a bit of a slap in the face, considering how much their pop days gave them the lifestyles they all have now.”
Atomic Kitten shot to fame in the late 90s and became one of the UK’s most successful girl bands, with hits such as Whole Again, The Tide Is High, and Eternal Flame.
Despite multiple reunions over the years, tensions within the group have been well-documented, with public spats and fallouts regularly making headlines.
While Natasha, Kerry, and Jenny are reportedly eager to take part in the documentary, Liz has distanced herself from the pop world in recent years.
She now lives a quiet life away from fame, regularly blogging about her ‘no fly travel’ experience where she hops across the world without taking a plane.
The Atomic Kitten girls have famously had a very on/off friendship over the years.
In 2023, Kerry lashed out at both Jenny and Natasha when asked why she thought she was always “the star of the show”.
Appearing on the On A Mission podcast, she replied: “I don’t know. I have no idea. It’s like when I’m on stage with Atomic Kitten.
“I think it’s one of the reasons the girls don’t talk to me anymore, I remember we was at the MNE Arena 20k people and they’re all shouting Kerry, I thought, f****** hell, and that’s why I left AK in the first place.
“We did this photoshoot all in these leather catsuits … I picked the paper up opened it and I thought for f*** sake, it was just me. I was devastated.”
Three-parter Girlbands Forever will hit screens later this year on BBC Two.
It will look back at this phenomenal musical era of the Nineties and Noughties, with all its highs and lows.
The show was given the green light by the BBC following the huge success of Boybands Forever, which touched on the experiences of groups including East 17, 5ive, Damage and 911.
The outstanding contribution, however, came from Robbie Williams as he discussed his fractious time in Take That, particularly vying with his former rival Gary Barlow and their manager, Nigel Martin-Smith.
The Sun has reached out to Liz’s representatives for comment.