Inside Heather Small's private life – from very famous ex-partner to son's surprising career
Heather Small is one of our favourite singers, after her time M People, however, she also had a glittering solo career with her instantly recognisable song, Proud.
Alongside her music career, Heather has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and The Masked Singer, while also raising money for numerous charitable causes. The star also previously dated a rugby legend and has a son with him..
Sadly, her solo work hasn't always gone to plan, with the star cancelling an album at the last minute and having to battle with a health condition. Here's all you need to know about Heather…
Career
Heather started her career when she was still a teenager, joining Hot House, but the band sadly never broke through in the charts. Following its disbanding in 1990, the singer joined M People, enjoying considerable success with hits like Moving On Up and One Night in Heaven.
When the band went their separate ways in 1998, Heather released her debut solo album just two years later. The album contained the single Proud, which became the star's most famous song, used in shows including Miranda and being linked with the British Olympic team.
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Heather released her second solo album, Close to a Miracle, in 2006. However, it didn't achieve the same commercial success as Proud. In 2018, Heather planned to release a third album; however, shortly before its release, the project was dropped. A third album, Colour My Life, was eventually released in 2022.
Famous ex and son
During the 1990s, Heather was in a relationship with England rugby player Shaun Edwards. Reflecting on their relationship in 2012 with the Standard, Shaun said: "I met her backstage after a concert in Bradford 16 years ago.
"She is probably the most single-minded person I have ever met. Heather didn't drink, smoke, drink milk, nor eat meat. She goes to bed at 10.30 at night and is in the gym at 6 in the morning."
Shaun's relationship with Heather played a key part in him swapping rugby teams, with the star revealing that he wanted to move closer to the singer when she was pregnant with their son. At the time, he was playing for the Wigan Warriors, but after an argument with his coach over him moving closer to London, he signed for the London Broncos.
However, the pair's relationship wasn't to be, and they eventually split. Heather has since married lawyer David Neita, with the pair walking down the aisle in 2012.
The couple's son, James Small-Edwards, has gone down an entirely different route from his famous parents, entering the world of politics. James was elected to Westminster Council in 2022 and was successfully elected to the London Assembly in 2024.
Speaking of raising her son, Heather told the Guardian in 2022: "With James being of dual heritage, it was important he knew his Bajan side as well as having pride in his dad's white, working-class, northern upbringing. Taking him to Barbados, I could show him a world where women who looked like his mum, gran, and aunt were doing everything from being a judge in court to sweeping the roads."
She also reflected on the difficulties of being a pop star while raising her child: "Being pregnant was the one time I felt special and beautiful, but not everyone was happy," she explained.
"After James was born, I felt I had to carry on as if I wasn't a mother, and there were commitments with M People I needed to fulfil. So I did. James was born in March 1998, and by November, he was with me on tour. It was the most difficult thing I've done as a working mother, but the pain of doing it without him would have been worse."
Health conditions
Heather has been open about her battles with asthma, explaining how the lung condition has impacted her professional life. "My symptoms would get so bad. My chest would be so tight, and I'd be wheezing so much, I couldn't sing," she previously explained.
"I would have to pull out of gigs as I felt so awful... and cancelling studio time is so expensive. The asthma played havoc with my breathing, making me short of breath and irritating my lungs."
The 60-year-old noticed an improvement in her condition when she cut dairy products such as milk and yoghurt from her diet, explaining to the Mirror that she hadn't felt the need to cancel a gig since 2016.
The star also has allergies to "animals, dust and feathers" and has suffered from eczema, saying: "When it got bad, I used steroid cream as a last resort. I also had to be really careful about my clothing. Man-made fabrics don't help."
