Former S Club 7 singer and Strictly Come Dancing star, Rachel Stevens, is revealed as a guest judge on tonight and tomorrow’s X
Factor, New Zealand (TV3), starring alongside All Saints’ judge Melanie
Blatt. Rachel arrived in New Zealand just a few weeks ago to surprise
contestants in the ‘groups’ category when their mentor (Mel) was
revealed to them along with Rachel to help her decide who to put through
to live shows.
Arriving in style, Rachel was flown by helicopter to the stunning
judge’s retreat in Mahurangi, 40 miles north of Auckland, where the
contestants eagerly awaited the news of who their mentor and guest judge
were. After their excitement of being partnered with Mel, Rachel was
revealed and the groups spontaneously burst into a medley of S Club
songs. S Club 7 sold over 14 million records, received two Brit Awards and their TV show was televised in 114 countries worldwide.
Rachel said; “This was my first visit back to New Zealand since we
toured here as a band and it was lovely to see there’s still a lot of S
Club love out there! I’m a huge X Factor fan and like lots of other
people, Saturday nights are often spent ‘critiquing’ contestants from
the sofa so it was great to be able to do it for real. Mel will be a
fantastic mentor and has some great contestants in her team. I’ll be
supporting her and the groups all the way and hope she has the winner!”
Rachel flew into New Zealand for a whirlwind 4 day trip before flying
back to London and then to Paris to shoot the new A/W campaign for
Next, who she continues to work with as the face of their Petite’s
range.
Rachel said; “It was an exciting week and great fun to be part of the
show. I got quite nostalgic seeing the young bands enjoying themselves,
creating new styles and sounds. It was lovely to be part of. I had a
great time in S Club and know how much they’ve got to look forward to.
Being back in New Zealand, albeit briefly was a pleasure and I’m excited
for Mel and for the show.”
John McDonald, Co-Exec Producer of X Factor NZ said; “Rachel was the
perfect addition to help Mel with her decision and she did a great job.
Her feedback was incredibly valuable to the contestants and to Mel
having been very successful in a band herself. Plus she was a natural in
front of the camera.”








