Paul leaves S Club 7

Paul Cattermole, 25, is the group's oldest member

S Club 7 star Paul Cattermole, who has announced he is quitting the band, is to join a heavy metal rock group.

The band will continue as a six-piece under the name S Club, and Cattermole will remain with them to work on their fourth TV series.

He will also perform at the Queen's Golden Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace in June.

They were founded and managed by Spice Girls svengali Simon Fuller

But Cattermole is to switch styles by joining Skua, a group of old school friends playing nu-metal music.

He told the Sun newspaper: "I want a change musically."

No new release is likely for some time - as Skua do not have a record deal.

Cattermole's departure came as his former bandmates re-signed their deal with both their management company and record label, which will make each of the members a millionaire.

An S Club spokeswoman described the split as amicable.

'Rumour'

Aged 25, Cattermole is the oldest member of the group, and is currently dating S Club's Hannah Spearitt.

S Club's Rachel will be part of the newly named S Club

In January, the band denied claims they were set to split, issuing a statement that there was "no truth in the rumour".

They released their first single, Bring It All Back, in June 1999, and it went straight to number one.

In 2000 they started work on their second TV series, LA7, which saw them move to Los Angeles.

The series went on to become a big hit on American TV.

The group won best British newcomer at the Brit Awards in March 2000 and hit the top spot in December with Never Had A Dream Come True, which saw profits going to the BBC's Children In Need charity.

'Stupid'

They had two more number ones in 2001 with Don't Stop Movin' and their second Children In Need song, Have You Ever.

The group also hit the headlines in March when three of their members were arrested for possessing cannabis.

Bradley McIntosh, Paul Cattermole and Jon Lee were found carrying the drug in London's West End.

They later apologised for the incident to their fans, saying they had been "stupid".

The four other members of the band are Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett.

The group are the brainchild of former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller.