THEY had been teasing their reunion for months, but when Girls Aloud rocked up to the studio to start rehearsals this week there were stony faces all round.
For weeks the girls have plastered smiles on and fans have been sent into a frenzy with all the hype.
(L to R) Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, Cheryl and Kimberley Walsh of Girls Aloud will be hitting the road next monthCredit: Getty
The group are touring in honour of Sarah Harding, who died aged 39Credit: Splash
It’s been 11 years since Cheryl, 40, Kimberley Walsh, 42, Nadine Coyle, 38, and Nicola Roberts, 38, last went on tour together, but now they’re gearing up for a massive 30-date UK tour.
The extensive tour, set to begin in May in Dublin, will take them all over the country, where they’ll perform their iconic hits like “Love Machine” and “The Promise.”
However, in 2013, they decided to part ways, which led to a significant feud among the band members, damaging their friendships.
Despite their past conflicts, the band has put aside their differences and reunited in mourning after the loss of their beloved bandmate, Sarah Harding.
Driven by Sarah’s memory, they’ve fully embraced their comeback and seem to be enjoying reminiscing about their glory days.
Although they’ve been away for quite some time, Cheryl has remarked that getting back into the swing of things has been surprisingly easy, despite previously stating that a reunion would never happen.
Kimberley chimed in, saying, “All the hits mean something to us too, so they have to be there.”
Fears for the tour
Despite their outward enthusiasm leading up to their big return, insiders are concerned that the reunion of Girls Aloud could potentially end in disaster due to their history.
While the women have promised fans their most impressive staging yet, they appeared tense and failed to crack smiles when arriving to rehearse for the first time.
“Behind the scenes, a lot of the team are wary they’ll clash again. They both look back and can see they were both at fault, they’ve both matured a lot. Due to professional and personal life challenges they’ve faced since the band, they no longer have the egos or competitiveness they did back then.”
The source continued, “Cheryl, Nicola, and Kimberley are best friends, and it seems like they are really trying not to exclude Nadine as they don’t want anything to derail this tour or cause tension. And Nadine is making a huge effort with them too, she’s really gotten to know the grown-up versions of them over the last year and become close.”
“Without all the drama of the younger years – who sings what part of what song, who is getting the most headlines – everyone is hoping they can put the past behind them.”
“But a lot of people who know the band thought ‘uh oh’ when they saw how the band dressed for the tour announcement – Nadine, on purpose or not, totally upstaged Cheryl with her incredible outfit.”
“Everyone is worried that when the pressure of the tour is on, tempers will fray and it’ll end in disaster.”
Public spats
Fans will of course remember that after their 2013 split, things quickly turned toxic, when Nadine publicly distanced herself from the break-up.
In a shock move Nadine wrote on X, known as Twitter at the time, “You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn’t stop them. I had the best time and want to keep going.”
Cheryl quickly slammed her claims, saying Nadine was “full of s***” and had asked for a break in 2009 which led to the band’s demise.
She added: “She was the one who wanted to make a solo record. Which is why we took the hiatus. She wants to come out and say we broke the band up? No! She shouldn’t tell porkie pies.
Girls Aloud’s biggest hits
Sound of the Underground, 2002 – Official Chart peak: 1
The Promise, 2008 – Official Chart peak: 1
Love Machine, 2004 – Official Chart peak: 2
Jump, 2003 – Official Chart peak: 2
Call The Shots, 2007 – Official Chart peak: 3
“Okay, so do you want us to tell the truth? She wasn’t going to make another Girls Aloud record until she got a solo deal. I feel she held us to ransom and then made her solo record deal.
“It’s the truth. She’s saying that we broke the band up. So, there you go.”
The bad blood continued in Kimberley’s autobiography, A Whole Lot of History, released in 2013 she said she never would have been friends with Nadine and Sarah if they hadn’t been put in a group together.
Then in 2017, Nadine claimed other members had taken their anger out on her because she got to sing more lines in their tracks.
She said: “It was fine at the start but there’s always politics in any band. It just happened that I always got more vocals than everybody else, so in terms of people wanting their voice heard, that wasn’t happening.
“It made people very bitter. They didn’t like that. It’s so sad for me to have to admit this stuff now because for so long, there’s the band, and you want everybody to think we’re best friends and we have pillow fights and, you know, drink milkshakes.
“That’s what I wanted it to be. I really, really wanted that to be, but it just wasn’t how it was. We’re all very, very different characters.”
Reflecting more recently, Cheryl told Vogue: “At this age, you gain perspective and stop caring about the stupid stuff that would drive you crazy in your twenties. I’ve never felt more comfortable in my skin.”
Going solo
Since their final split in 2013, the girls have pursued solo music careers, with Cheryl being the most successful, achieving five No1 singles, including the 2012 smash hit “Call My Name.” Additionally, she had a highly successful stint as a judge on The X Factor during its ITV heyday.
However, more recently, Cheryl has withdrawn from public life. Following a disappointing music comeback in 2018, she focused on raising her son Bear, six, whom she shares with her ex-boyfriend, One Direction’s Liam Payne. Despite her involvement in the West End show 2:22 A Ghost Story earlier in the year, which received critical acclaim, it was revealed last month that one of her companies was £1.35 million in debt, coinciding with rumors of a Girls Aloud comeback.
United in grief
Fast forward a number of years and the group have decided to give it another go – but this time they are doing it without their fifth bandmate, Sarah , who died aged 39 from breast cancer in 2021.
It is only now, two years on, that the group say they finally feel ready to return to the stage, which they also revealed was one of Sarah’s dying wishes.
Girls Aloud 2024 tour dates
Saturday, May 18 – 3Arena Dublin
Monday, May 20 – SSE Arena BelfastTuesday, May 21 – SSE Arena Belfast
Thursday and Friday, May 23, 24- Manchester AO ArenaSaturday, May 25 – Manchester AO Arena
Monday, May 27- Cardiff Utilita ArenaTuesday, May 28 – Sheffielf Utilita Arena
Friday, May 31 & Saturday, June 1- Newcastle Utilita ArenaSunday, June 2 – Newcastle Utilita Arena
Tuesday, June 4- Aberdeen P&J Live
Saturday, June 8- Glasgow OVO HydroSunday, June 9 – Glasgow OVO HydroMonday, June 10 – Glasgow OVO Hydro
Wednesday, June 12- Nottingham Motorpoint ArenaThursday, June 13 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Saturday, June 15- Leeds First Direct ArenaSunday, June 16 – Leeds First Direct Arena
Tuesday, June 18- Birmingham Resorts World ArenaWednesday, June 19 – Birmingham Resorts World ArenaThursday, June 20 – Birmingham Resorts World Arena
Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, June 22, 23, 24, 25 – London The O2
Saturday and Sunday, June 29 and 30 – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Recalling an emotional conversation with Sarah during her final months, Cheryl said: “She turned to me once and said, ‘You know, when I’m not here, you girls should do something’.
“But when you’re face to face with someone that’s dying . . . we just thought some miracle was going to occur. We all thought we might be able to do something together.”
The group are now rehearsing for a solid month and underging an intense workout regime before hitting the stage — and they are feeling positive.
Cheryl said: “Just don’t call it a comeback — more as a celebration of a milestone.
“And it’s gonna be unreal. And it’s gonna be the nostalgia of your life.”
Let’s just hope the positivity remains – and despite their ‘very different characters – they get through the shows with rekindled friendships unscathed, at least for the sake of Sarah.
The girls were last on stage back in 2013Credit: Getty
The group had huge success when they first got together
