Girls Aloud are arguably the biggest girl group in the world right now, a week after announcing they were getting back together and going out on tour.
The UK act featuring Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh and Nadine Coyle will be paying tribute to their fifth member, Sarah Harding, who died in September 2021 following a battle with breast cancer at the age of 39.
But they’re not just remembering Harding on stage, Coyle tells 9Honey Celebrity the late member is also in their “relatively new” group chat as they work out details of their reunion.
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“Group chats are really a thing [and] when we were around last time, I don’t think there was a such thing as group chats,” Coyle says backstage at the We Do Us Live inclusion event in London on Wednesday night.
“Now I have so many. I try to avoid group chats but I can’t avoid that one,” she laughs.
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Coyle revealed Sarah’s inclusion in the chat when discussing the name of their group.
“It’s all hearts [emojis]. It’s five hearts – Sarah’s in the group chat as well – so there’s red and purple hearts,” she says.
The group, perhaps best known for songs like Love Machine, Sound of the Underground and their Love Actually cover of Jump (For My Love), will celebrate Harding during their performances, dedicating each show to her.
Girls Aloud formed on the TV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, before splitting up in 2013.
Before going on to pursue solo careers, they were named the UK’s biggest selling girl group of the 21st Century in 2012 by the country’s Official Charts Company.
The reunion news, made on the group’s 21st anniversary on November 23, thrilled fans and took over social media, something Coyle says she was excited and a bit relieved to see.
“You just never know what it’s going to be,” she tells 9Honey Celebrity.
“We’ve always had such amazing supportive fans, like even things that each of us do by ourselves, they’ve been so supportive, but to see this reaction, it’s wonderful.”
Even with such a warm response to the news, Coyle admits the girls were ”really kind of nervous” about tickets starting to go on sale.
“I think it was Cheryl, [she] was like, ‘I feel sick’ with some sick emojis and I was like, ‘Why? Oh my God, she doesn’t feel well’,” she recalls.
“A little bit later then it kicked in and I was like, ‘oh my God, the pre-sale thing is tomorrow’ and then I felt a little bit sick.
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“I was like, ‘oh my God, I feel sick too. Oh my God, what am I gonna do? What have we done?”
The announcement for the UK and Ireland tour left some Aussie fans disappointed but Coyle hopes they can head to Australia one day.
“We’ll have to see what we sort out for that,” she says coyly.
Excitedly, the Irish singer says she knows heading to Oz is worth the long flight.
“I love Australia [so] I hope [we can go there],” Coyle tells 9Honey Celebrity.
“Last time I was in Australia I was there for, oh, no, I was there for three weeks but I was in Australia before for one week, which is a long way to go for a week and yet so worth it.
“So, if there’s an opportunity to do shows in Australia, I will be up for that.”
