EXCLUSIVE Truth behind Hannah Spearritt's 'off-grid', prepper life in Costa Rica, her VERY environmentally unfriendly car and her unlikely shopping habits
Former S Club 7 star Hannah Spearritt has recently delighted her Instagram followers with posts from her idyllic new tropical home in Costa Rica, where she and her partner Adam Thomas are determined to 'live off the land'.
Hannah, 44, changed her bio to: 'Prepper, survivalist and creator now living the uninhibited jungle life.'
But as these exclusive photos show, even an eco-warrior needs the occasional visit to the supermarket in their gas-guzzling 4x4.
Last week, Adam, 45, loaded up the couple's 3.0 litre diesel Hi Lux pick-up with the weekly shop at the huge BM supermarket in Dominical, about half an hour down the mountain from where the couple and their two young daughters have based themselves.
Hannah and Adam's hillside estate with its own waterfalls and stunning views of lush green valleys is a far cry from their life in Britain, which they waved goodbye to in January.
Hannah announced to her 348k Instagram followers that the couple now plan to 'learn permaculture' so they can 'live off the land' growing fruit and vegetables.
But locals and other expats in the hills above Dominical on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, told MailOnline that the challenges of self-sufficiency can be 'immense'.
'Of course it depends on several factors such as how much dough you have, how much land and above all, how much experience,' said an American member of the local ex-pat Facebook group, Domi Crew.
'It can be done, of course, but there are a lot of people who've tried and underestimated how difficult it is, then been forced to look for some other kind of paid work instead to get by.'
If that should happen to Hannah and Adam, there would be plenty of opportunities in the thriving tourist and surfing resort of Dominical, should the couple decide to work.
The town is less than half an hour's drive down the mountain in their huge gas-guzzling 3.0 litre diesel Toyota Hi Lux pick-up which Hannah showed off on Instagram recently.
There is a wide range of luxury hotels, yoga retreats, craft breweries, high-end restaurants, natural food stores, fast food restaurants and a huge BM supermarket, where the couple have both been seen.
Though some Instagram followers have assumed the couple's wooden house with glorious views of the sunrise from the terrace would be 'off grid', it almost certainly is not.
More than 99 per cent of the many villas and farms dotted in the forest are on mains electriicty and most boast air conditioning and high-speed internet as well, delivered either by fibre optic cable or satellite.
Judging by photos posted by Adam on Facebook in their airy kitchen with a high vaulted ceiling, the family won't lack any mod cons in the home.
At the supermarket this week, MailOnline spotted Adam loading a trolley high with goods including loo paper and bread to take home. Before heading back to their apartment, he emptied the truck of some rubbish including a soft drink cup from McDonald's.
One real estate agent in Dominical told MailOnline: 'There is a very healthy property market around here and it's driven by foreigners. Many of them are digital nomads running their business from here because it's beautiful, with the jungle, the beaches and the quality of life.
'But actually making a living from the land is a tough job, unless you have significant resources and know-how, or have enough property to rent it out to paying guests.'
It's not known how much capital Hannah and Adam have between them, but their plans to open a holistic food store in Twickenham had to be shelved last year, reportedly because of spiralling costs.
The commercial property in the heart of Twickenham village, bought in Hannah's name in November 2018 for £520,000 with a mortgage, was sold in March, having been on the market for £900,000.
Adam announced the couple's move to Central America back in January with a foul-mouthed attack on Britain, declaring 'F*** the UK and f*** the f***ing lot of them. We GOOONE!!!'.
His intemperate Facebook post was accompanied by a sweet photo of his two daughters, Taya, five and four-year-old Tora, in a hammock at their stunning rain forest house.
But the bitter tone of his invective against politicians of all hues, and 'nosey jobsworth c***s in every government department and the NHS' raised another question.
Could an ugly incident which saw the couple clash with police and social workers three years ago over an injury to their baby daughter have been a factor in their decision to quit Britain?
The move to Costa Rica brought to an end a well-publicised nightmare few years for Hannah, which included the death of her ex-boyfriend and band member Paul Cattermole in 2023, her awkward departure from S Club 7, a disastrous breast implant surgery resulting in years of ill health and a spell in rehab to wean her off powerful pain killers.
But less well known is one of the darkest chapters in her 2023 autobiography, Facing the Music, billed as a 'searingly candid memoir', concerning a clash between the couple and social services.
In December 2022, while house-sitting for friends in Virginia Water, Surrey, press reports branded the couple 'homeless' while they were between rental flats.
When then toddler Tora suffered an injury, believed to be caused by a dog jumping up and scratching her eyelid, Hannah wrote: 'We found ourselves on the radar of social services, an absolutely ridiculous situation to be in, totally unjustified.'
She recalled the horrific incident when she ran toward the sound of Tora's screams: 'The scene that I came upon in the living room will stay with me forever. Tora was standing on the couch, eyelids horrifically lacerated and the worst facial injury I've ever seen.'
At the hospital, she wrote: 'One of the nurses came in, and asked Adam if she could have a word with him outside. What I didn't know was that as soon as he left the room, the police were waiting for him and arrested him, taking him off in handcuffs.
'What was already a terrible situation had ramped up to something indescribable'.
Hannah claimed that media reports about their temporary homelessness had somehow convinced the authorities that it was likely that one or other of them had inflicted their daughter's injuries.
She said: 'It's truly frightening to think that someone with absolutely zero evidence can paint a picture like that which influences someone being arrested and locked up while their daughter lies in a hospital bed, waiting for major surgery.'
She added: 'It felt like persecution, one of those police states that people talk about.
'Honestly, I don't think I can ever forgive the people responsible, although we've made every effort to forget about it, and them, as quickly as possible.'
Nevertheless, while the social services conducted their investigation, she said, the family had to live in accommodation where other responsible adults were present.
She added: 'This was adding insult to serious injury and bearing in mind my gradual decline in health generally, I was really beginning to despair.'
It wasn't the first time Adam Thomas had been investigated for alleged violence. In 2016, he was charged with attacking Hannah in a domestic argument, and intimidating a witness.
But when the case came to trial, it collapsed, and he was found not guilty of common assault and witness intimidation during a hearing at Kingston Crown Court. The court heard that three prosecution witnesses were not available and that the case could not proceed.
Adam Thomas was found not guilty and discharged.
Hannah and Adam are believed to have chosen Costa Rica to settle after enjoying a trip to the stunning location in 2018.
The visit originally inspired them to set up the café, Fire and Earth, in Twickenham in 2022. However, it was never ready to open fully and they sold up earlier this year.
A source said: 'It's the latest in a sequence of setbacks. The new plan is selling up and moving to Costa Rica to live off the land.'
Meanwhile Hannah, who has suffered from an autoimmune condition since 2013, had been set to join her former band on their comeback tour in 2023 but pulled out following a feud over contracts.
Following the row, the other members - Rachel Stevens, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh and Tina Barrett – announced that they would continue as a five-piece.
All the mod cons are available to the family with 99 per cent of the many villas and farms dotted in the forest are on mains electricity and most boast air conditioning and high-speed internet
Hannah was said to have been blindsided by the S Club announcement, with her being left on bad terms with the band in which she rose to fame in the early 2000s.
She then reportedly drafted in lawyers and made the bold move to release her autobiography on the same day the band would have taken to the stage.
Before Paul's death, all seven members of the chart-topping band initially confirmed they were reuniting for a landmark 25th anniversary tour.
Hannah initially refused to join the line-up, citing a lack of childcare and only agreed to join when music manager Simon Fuller offered to pay for nannies to come along.
Two months later, band member Paul died, and Hannah then accepted a five-figure sum to tell her story, which left a bitter taste in the remaining band member's mouths.
The Dancing On Ice star apologised to S Club's fans for deciding to leave but said she had to do what was best for herself and her family.
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