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.
It’s been 11 years since Cheryl, 40, Kimberley Walsh, 42, Nadine Coyle, 38, and Nicola Roberts, 38, last hit the road and are they are now gearing up for a huge 30-date UK tour.
The huge money-spinning exercise, which kicks off in May in Dublin, will see them performing up and down the country, belting out their famous hits such as Love Machine and The Promise.
Over their decade-long stint, Girls Aloud racked up millions of sales, Brit award nominations and four number ones.
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But in 2013 they called it quits and the break up sparked a major feud between the bandmates that left their friendship in tatters.
The band has pushed aside any past issues and fall outs, united once more in their grief following the death of their beloved bandmate Sarah Harding.
They’ve jumped head first into their comeback – spurred on by the memory of Sarah – and have seemingly been enjoying reliving their glory days.
Despite such a long time off, Cheryl has said getting back into the groove had been a piece of cake – despite previously insisting there would never be a reunion.
She explained: “It’s funny, because it’s like muscle memory. We’ve done it, it’s so ingrained and we did it so many times on different tours, the same choreography, your body remembers even before your brain catches up.”
Kimberley added: “All the hits mean something to us too, so they have to be there.”
Fears for the tour
But while the women, who have promised fans their most impressive staging yet, have been full of enthusiasm leading up to their big return, insiders are worried it could all end in disaster considering their history.
The girls certainly gave a glimmer of their unease as they failed to crack smiles when arriving to rehearse for the first time.
Our insider tells us: "It's no secret that Cheryl and Nadine had a fraught relationship and professional rivalry back in the day- they couldn't even agree when Girls Aloud split - so now, they're on best behaviour with the reunion.
“But 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 - and 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.”
They continued: “Cheryl, Nicola and Kimberly 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.
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“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.
“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 all forged solo music careers, with Cheryl being the most successful, racking up five No1 singles, including 2012 smash Call My Name.
She also had a hugely successful run as a judge on The X Factor during its ITV heyday.
But she has retreated from public life more recently.
After a disappointing music comeback in 2018, she focused on raising her son Bear, six, who she had with her ex-boyfriend, One Direction’s Liam Payne.
Then last month, as rumours swirled of a Girls Aloud comeback, it was revealed that one of her companies was £1.35million in the red, despite her run in the West End show 2:22 A Ghost Story earlier in the year, which was praised by critics.
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.
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.
