Girls Aloud have come a long way since their bitter split and feud in 2013, after healing a rift that had plagued them for decades.
The iconic girl group, which was originally formed on ITV's Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, consisted of Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh and the late Sarah Harding, who sadly died in 2021 at the age of 39 from breast cancer. Now, the four remaining members are back together for a reunion tour.
In the two decades they've known each other, the girls have been both best friends and rivals. Ten years ago, Girls Aloud broke the devastating news to fans they were splitting up after releasing their last single, Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me. The emotional message on their official Twitter account read: "Your love and support will stay with us forever but we have now come to the end of our incredible time together."
However, one member of the group claimed she was 'blindsided' by the decision to break up and accused the others of 'plotting' behind her back. Nadine claimed that the rest of the band decided to call time on the group without consulting her. The Northern Irish singer said she was only told just minutes before going out on stage for the final performance of the Ten: The Hits Tour, and none of the other girls had "breathed a word". "I didn't want the band to end, it was as simple as that," she told The Mirror in 2014.
"I didn't think we were going to end – we had done all the promo saying we were all together, having a great tour, wearing Victoria's Secret wings and stomping up and down the catwalk every night, loving every single minute of it. And then, on the very last night of the tour, our management and publicist came up to me and said the girls wanted to split up the band. I was thinking, 'What?!' I was in hair and make-up, about to get into my costume, and the show was starting in 20 minutes. I was shocked.
"I went back to my make-up lady and told her, and was like, 'F***! I don't have a job! What am I going to do?' I screamed and cried on stage and off stage." Nadine confessed she was "really dramatic" for around 15 minutes but then realised she had to accept the decision. She added: "But after that I was fine. I refused to even be sad about it. It is what it is. I couldn't kick and scream, and change their minds -but had it been me, I would have done it differently. Not just before you go out on stage."
Cheryl hit back, telling Attitude magazine that Nadine was "full of s***" and accusing her of holding the band to "ransom". "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," the Geordie star raged. "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."
And their public mud-slinging was just the tip of the iceberg, according to a source, who claimed it kicked off royally behind the scenes on that fateful night. "It was really dramatic and there were a lot of tears. Nadine and Cheryl were both fighting their corner and nobody was prepared to budge," the insider told the Daily Star. "Nadine was saying [Cheryl] was trying to control everything. But Cheryl thinks it's nonsense. They only ever agreed to get back together for an anniversary tour and then leave it at that."
With Girls Aloud over for good, Nadine attempted to relaunch her solo career, releasing a comeback single 'Go To Work' in 2017. It failed to make the Official Singles Chart and she was forced to cancel a seven-date tour of the UK and Ireland in 2018, admitting it "wasn't meant to be" and she couldn't deliver the kind of show she wanted.
But tensions still rumbled on as Simon Cowell made a snide remark about Nadine's solo career when Cheryl joined him for X Factor Judges' Houses in 2017. Urging her to reunite Girls Aloud, he sniped: "Why don't we get Nadine for dinner? The three of us and we should talk about it. I mean Nadine is not exactly storming the charts as a solo artist is she?"
While Nadine was in the Australian jungle for I'm A Celebrity in 2019, Kimberley seemed to make a dig about their "working relationship" as opposed to a "genuine" friendship with some of the other girls. Speaking on Loose Women in November 2019, she said: "Yeah [I was more friendly with Cheryl and Nicola]. It is true genuine real connection between us three." She added: "With Sarah and Nadine, it was more of a work relationship but it's like family you'd feel for them. You don't see them all the time."
However, it appears the seven-year feud ended in July 2020 when Kimberley credited lockdown for giving her time to reflect on the past and consequently reach out to the Irish singer. "Lockdown has been a time for reflection. Nadine and I were chatting the other day and we're going to get the kids together as they haven't met yet," she said.
When late band member Sarah was tragically diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2020, the girls put the feud behind them to support their friend. The Irish singer told OK! Magazine that the band has "a nice harmony going on now" after putting to bed their rift, saying: "When we see each other, it's like we've stepped back in time. As if we've only seen each other yesterday. It's such a tough time, but all of us have pulled together."
On September 5, 2021, Sarah sadly passed away and the group vowed to keep her memory alive and hold a gala evening. The Primrose Ball, in honour of Sarah, saw them raise over £1 million for The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, a branch of The Christie Charitable Fund. Kimberley said the event helped Sarah's mum, Marie, as she had something to put her energy into.
"It is a long friendship, it's really nice," she told The Sun before adding: "I feel close to all of the girls, it's genuinely a close friendship where we text daily." Kimberley added: "We are in each other's lives, we know what's going on. Obviously, with everything that's happened, we're really as tight as we've ever been at the moment, you just have to lean on each other, don't you?"
Last month, Girls Aloud fans predicted that a reunion was on the cards when they noticed details of a brand new company called Lets Go Eskimo Productions LLP being registered on Companies House. Fans noticed the new company listed Cheryl, Nicola, Kimberley and Nadine listed as owners. A source told The Sun: "This has been one of the best-kept secrets in pop, but it's actually happening now.
"The girls really came back together as friends to rally around when Sarah died, and it repaired some of the old rifts and put things into perspective. Suddenly the reunion which had seemed totally impossible for so long just felt a totally natural thing to do - in Sarah's honour." The source went on to reveal: "They've got a single and a video in the can, plans for a full record of new music, and for the fans the most exciting thing will be a massive reunion tour in 2024."