Extracts from Interviews and Articles

FROM the moment they stormed into the Christmas No1 spot in 2002 with the impossibly catchy Sound of The Underground it was clear Girls Aloud meant business.
Two years down the line, with six top-three singles and a No2 album under their belt, the sexy fivesome have firmly established themselves as a chart-busting pop sensation.
And to top off an amazing year, Popstars The Rivals winners Nadine, Cheryl, Kimberley, Sarah and Nicola have been chosen – over the likes of Geri Halliwell and Busted - to release this year’s official Children in Need song, a cover of The Pretenders smash hit I'll Stand By You.
Cheryl told us: “It's definitely nerve-wracking covering such a well-loved song because it’s never going to be the same as the original. But we’ve had some fantastic feedback and loads of people have told us that we’ve done it justice, which is great to hear.”
Kimberley added: “We’ve not heard back from Chrissie Hynde yet, but we would love to know what she thinks of it.”
It’s no secret that not all reality stars do as well as Girls Aloud. But what is it that separates them from the rest?
Nadine reckons it’s the fact that the band is still going strong after two years.
She thinks the group have managed to earn credibility that other reality show stars lack.
"We do have a very different sound to the other pop acts around at the moment. I think people are always intrigued as to what we are going to come out with next,” she said.
Speaking of what’s next, the girls told us of their excitement about their new album What Will The Neighbours Say? out on November 29.
"I reckon we’ve got a busy 12 months ahead, " Kimberley told us. "If our album does really well we’ll be thinking about a live tour and there’s loads of people we’d like to collaborate with – particularly The Neptunes. But maybe that’s just my excuse to get close to Pharrell!”

Kimberley, who is dating ex Triple 8 star Justin Scott, told us the group are flattered by increasingly frequent comparisons The Spice Girls.
“We certainly wouldn’t complain if we have the same success as them, they were fantastic.Although it can get annoying because people wrongly assume that we are going to go down exactly the same route as them. And for the record, we are not planning a Spice Girls style movie,” she added.

There's a lovely picture to go with this extract at: www.thesun.co.uk/popupWindow/0,,2004531791,00.html

We managed to grab the gorgeous girls to ask them a few questions that YOU sent in for them.

How did doing the Children In Need record come about?
Sarah: We didn't approach them. They asked us and we were happy to do it. In fact, it was an honour.

People forget you girls were from a reality show. If you could work with another reality show artist who would it be?
Kimberley & Nadine: (In unison) Definitely Will Young, without a doubt.
Kimberley: We're all big fans of Will's - it'd be great to work with him at some stage.

As per your song, can you describe your ideal love machine?
Kimberley: I'm a sucker for a nice smile. I really like a nice smile.
Cheryl: Actually, I'm with Kimberley. I love a nice smile.

Have any of you picked up any of your parents' habits?
Cheryl: I'm turning into my mum. I look just like her when I am thinking or concentrating. I caught myself in the mirror the other day and I looked just like her. Actually, no, she's getting like me thinking about it. She turned up at a photoshoot the other day with these long boots.
Nadine: Yeah, but she has got as helluva figure. She is 45 and looks amazing. Kimberley: She's had 5 kids and should have a baby belly but she just looks great.

Did you once say you would all get a tattoo to celebrate your time together? Kimberley: We did, yeah, although what we'll get done and where we get it done I don't know. If so, just a little thing.

Would you girls consider doing a movie like the Spice Girls?
Kimberley: Well in our videos we do act quite a bit. Yeah, I think it would be great.

Three years ago, you all wanted to be famous. Now you are, is it all its cracked up to be?
Kimberley: I think when you get close to something it can be less impressive. Yeah, it's not always great, but it is still one of the best jobs in the world and I wouldn't swap it for anything else.

Why were you not on Band Aid III's single?
Cheryl: We didn't have time... we've got too much to do with our record label!!!! Speak to them!
Nadine: We would have loved to have done it but there just wasn't the time. Anyway, we have done I'll Stand By You for Children In Need.
Kimberley: The Band Aid song sounds great and we are all going to go out and buy five copies each! We support it 100%

Check out the Girls' interview on Hit 40 UK when Love Machine entered the charts at Number 2.

There's another Hit 40 UK interview both from the Hit 40 site at www.hit40uk.com/Article.asp?id=25782

Group interview - definitely worth a listen: : http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/realmedia/girls_aloud_uea.ram

If the above link doesn't work, you can access the interview at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/music/gigs/girls_aloud_uear1.shtml

This is possibly the best interview ever!
Nicked from Steveweiser who my thanks go to for typing it up

HEAVEN'S KITCHEN
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen - but with Girls Aloud raising the temperature to that of Hell itself, there isn't a bloke on earth who wouldn't risk getting burned...

When it comes to miscarriages of justice, they don't come much bigger than this. Forget the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six, this is the Girls Aloud Five we're talking about, and, as we learned one planet-shifting morning, four of this most vein-pumpingly attractive five-piece... are SINGLE.

Yes. Get up off the floor, pop your jaws back in and keep reading. Think about that the next time you're desperately pleading with your ungrateful girlfriend not to sleep on the sofa again, or dredging the local nightclub for anything even approaching mammalian. These fine specimens of ladyhood are out there and traipsing to bed with nothing but a cup of cocoa to keep them warm.

Fret not though, gentle reader, for we here at FHM are nothing if not big-hearted - and are here to help. Just as our first Girls Aloud cover was a sell-out - flying off the shelves like giant, beautifully adorned bats - we're here to do it all again, and in the process advertise the lasses like some beautiful Exchange & Mart. So strap yourselves in, chaps, and get ready to meet the possible future missus.

Cheryl's questions relating to Kimberley:

You perform at a lot of gay events...
I've never been tempted, if that's what you're asking. Actually, no - never say never. But I'm not interested right now.

Really? In my mind, you lot do it all the time...
Kimberley did try to snog me before in a nightclub. I thought about it, but then I realised we'd have to get up the next morning and work together, so... It was just a bit of fun - she's crazy when she's had a drink.

Kim's questions and answers

FHM's worried. Have none of you, aside from Nicola, got laid in months?
No! There's a drought in Girls Aloud. We must be doing something wrong.

Cheryl told us you got so desperate once, you tried to snog her...
She sold me out, the bitch! Right: I'll tell it how it is. I'm quite a friendly, cuddly kind of person - but after a few drinks, I sometimes think it'd be amusing to take it to the next level. Like sticking my tounge down Cheryl's throat. I don't actually remember it. Poor Cheryl - I think she was taken back by the idea.

Hmm. Still, if you want revenge, she loves men with no pubes...
I know, I can't think of anything worse. Trim is good - enough to keep you warm. I know blokes trim to make it look bigger, but I don't go for blokes who need to do that.

What kind do you go for?
Strong, silent types. I don't go out on the pull, though. I like to be approached, but you can do a lot when you're dancing - if you know the right moves.

You mean grab his nuts?
No - I'd never go down there with my hands, even when I was snogging. You don't go straight for the kill. Even men: you might glide over the breast area, but nothing more. Or just pinch her arse.

But that's generally agreed: if you're snogging, arses will be groped.
I know: that's fine. But you have to be ALLOWED into the world of boobs.

So what's your band nickname?
I get called certain things because of my big lips. Some men choose to draw attention to the fact they'd be good for certain... sexual activities. You know...

Kissin'?
Obviously. And something else. But I'm not saying fuck all.

So: you'll say "fuck all", but not "blow-job lips"?
That's the one. If nothing else, at least they're good for that. Well, I'd like to think so. I've never had any complaints.

Which Girl Aloud is best in the sack?
No idea. I'd give myself an eight: room for improvement. And I'm always willing to learn things. But I'll say this: Sarah's the most enthusiastic. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter.

Damn. But you live with Nadine: don't you... hear things?
We don't hear each other. [Calls out] Nadine! Have you ever heard me shagging? No - me neither.

So you're not "hanging around the kitchen in your underwear", as you so memorably sang?
Actually, I'm a bit of a naked girl. I just wander around the flat doing my washing in the nude. Nadine doesn't mind. Well, I hope she doesn't.

Nadine's questions relating to Kim

You live with Kimberley. Do you run around in frilly pink lingerie having pillow fights?
All the time, ha ha! Seriously though, when I get back to the house I often strip down and wander around in my pants - me and Kimberley both do.

They say you know you've made it when you put your first restraining order on a stalker - didn't you come up against a nutter this year?
Yes, I did. Someone put flowers under the windscreen wipers of my car every day. At first it was sweet, but then I'd leave my house and come back and the radio was on when it wasn't before and I'd get these strange calls on my mobile, so by the end it was freaking me out. I couldn't be on my own for long and I'd climb into Kimberley's bed at night.

THEY may have gone on TV to become famous - but the attraction of living in the glare of publicity seems to have faded very quickly for Girls Aloud.After just a few minutes of meeting the five who were brought together by reality TV programme Popstars: The Rivals 18 months ago, they are complaining about their treatment by the press.
"Don't ask us any questions about tabloid stories," says Newcastle girl Cheryl Tweedy, 20, she of the assault conviction after that nightclub incident last year. "They're never true."
Kimberley Walsh, 22, from Bradford, chips in: "They write horrible stuff and they write good stuff now and again. We hear it all the time and we just don't want to talk about it anymore. It's boring to us. Half of it's not true anyway, it's all annoying."
So those reports of Sarah Harding, also 22, from Manchester, declaring she'd had enough of the band's demanding schedule and rubbish pay and was ready to walk out? Not true, apparently. Her beaming presence here is evidence enough of that.
As it is the girls insist they do have demanding jobs - "We do 15, 16 hour days," moans Cheryl. They've not had any time off since Christmas but none of them are willing to complain about it as much as it's made out they do.
"We've had plenty of time off to be fair," says Kimberley. "We've got no reason to complain about being tired. But in terms of going away for a while, we're going to get a holiday in August. And you get odd days that are a bit easier. We can recharge our batteries then."
In fact the girls seem pretty chuffed with their lives in what is currently Britain's most popular girl group. All five of them exude an almost childish excitement about the impending release of their brand new single The Show.
"We're all doing exactly what we wanted to be doing," says Nadine Coyle, 19, from Derry, Northern Ireland. "And this is the best time as well because we never know what's going to happen. It's very exciting. It's nerve-wracking as well but we get so excited."
"Everything's going exactly how we want it," adds a defiant Kimberley.
The Show is possibly the best Girls Aloud single yet. It's not only feisty and infectious, it also includes the most unforgettable lyric of the year as they sing about how they should have stood in the kitchen in their underwear to hold on to a boyfriend.
"We all wear our underwear in the kitchen," says Cheryl. "Who doesn't? Don't you get out of bed and put the kettle on the kitchen in your boxer shorts?"
While the girls are proud of the single, they're hedging their bets on whether it will score them another No 1.
"Maybe a No 2," says Nicola. "Usher's out the same week. I know his album's out already but it is Usher."
Wearing their underwear in the kitchen is something the girls might want to think about doing more often in the future as Nadine, Sarah and Kimberley all split up with their respective boyfriends this year. They scoff at reports that they were asked to ditch their boyfriends by their record company for the sake of the band.
"It's a load of crap," says Kimberley. "We've been in the band for well over a year and we were with our boyfriends for a good part of that. As if they're going to tell us who we can see. We would have just said no."
Something that is true is that the girls are keen clubbers. As all of them live away from home they spend as much time together outside of work as they do as part of the band and often head out for a night on the tiles.
And despite most of the girls being newly single they very rarely get approached by men.
"They don't bother," laughs Cheryl. "Unless they're dead cocky. But I think we're quite intimidating. Not consciously, we don't mean to be, but I think we are."
The priority for the band, however, is their new album which they've been recording in Kent.
"We've all written our own individual songs on it," says a proud Nadine. "It feels like such a big achievement."

Where do you think you will be in 10 years?
Cheryl: I want my own property, a kid and a nice car
Kimberley: That's what we all want. It will be time to put everything into our families.

Are men intimidated by your stardom?
Kimberley: They can be. I don't get the chat-up lines I once did. When I was 15 I had a terrible one. This boy said, "Your legs are the word. Spread the word". It was disgusting and crude. I had only kissed a couple of boys by that age.

After Cheryl's conviction for attacking a nightclub toilet attendant, have people been different towards the band?
Cheryl: If anyone wants to know about that they can look it up in a library. For us it's a new year and thats in the past.
Kimberley: We're all moving on.

If you could snoop around somebody elses house whose would you choose?
Kimberley: Beyonce - that could be interesting

Does cosmetic surgery appeal to any of you?
Kimberley: You can even get calf implants now! There should be a limit. I think it's a shame that the culture is not leaning more towards teaching people to be happy how they are rather than constantly giving them ideas of how to change.

What are the funniest rumours you've heard about yourselves?
Sarah: There was one that I was getting married
Kimberley: That happened to me too - neither of us are even nearly married! And, supposedly, I was dating a bloke from Eastenders - I've never met him.

If the tables were turned which fella would you like to do a private dance for you?
Kimberley: Eminem or Usher. Usher can try all the dancing he wants in front of me. He has some good moves.

If footballers were the only men left on the earth, which ones would you date?
Kimberley: They're a breed on thier own. It's an awful generalisation to make, but some of them look pretty good

You've has 18 months of success. Have you invested some dosh in new homes in London?
Kimberley: I'd be sensible and try and get places in Bradford, West Yorks as well as London

The girls had to answer a series of questions which would show what sort of a night in you'd have if you were lucky enough to have a night in with the Pouty Goddess.

Honest Kimberley
Expect a girlie bonding session with Kimberley (Oh, yes please!). She's down to earth, honest and wears her heart on her sleeve. She's a good all-rounder - 'eck she'll cook you a decent Thai meal if you get the munchies - AND at the same time provide the evening's entertainment by acting out scenes from your fave movies. Want to know how you can thank her? By getting David Beckham to turn up and play her leading man!

I had a couple of scenes with him and he was lovely. He didn’t invite me out for a drink afterwards so I don’t know what he gets up to.

Kimberley: Who’s got the dirtiest sense of humour out of you lot?

We’re all quite bad when we get going. It’s probably Sarah though, she likes to turn things round and make them sound dirty wherever possible, ha ha!

Kimberley: Good girl. Who do you think wear’s the best underwear?

Cheryl I think. She wears these brilliant polka dot spotty thongs. You can always see them peaking out, I think they’re nice anyway.

Kimberley: If a few singles down the line, sales had dropped off and your manager suggested you “do a Tatu”, would you?

No way, I’d tell him to piss off!

Kimberley: So your Popstars: The Rivals pals the Cheeky Girls – could you clear up a few things about them. Those shorts – they must smell by now right?

Ha ha! I’m not sure, but they’ve always got them on haven’t they? I hope they give them a good wash between shows.

Kimberley: And finally, how about the rumour that we’re making up right now that their mum keeps them in a cage and that they are, in fact, triplets in rotation?

Ha ha! I’ve seen them out and about, but never in a cage. I hope neither of those are true.

Did you use to plan your future whenyou were younger?
Yeah. About doing this really.

Has any of this come true?
ALL We're all popstars!

What were you like at school?
I wasn't in with the trendy girls, I was in my own little group and kinda kept myself to myself.

What got you down most at school - work, friends or boy troubles?
It was the work for me cause I just couldn't be bothered. I enjoyed the craic more. I was just chatting and singing all the time.

Did you have a lot of boyfriends at school?
I didn't and if I did meet someone who I quite liked, then I was too scared to go through with it. I was a bit of a frigid freak!

Do you ever get tempted to join in with a bitching session?
I came across a lot of bitching at school. The girls saw me get a bit of attention from the boys and, even though I wasn't interested in the slightest, they were just like , ' She's a bitch.' They wanted to spread it around that I was awful so no one was interested.

I guess the big news is that Girls Aloud were officially 1 year old on the 29th November its been some year! Its gone so quick! We took time out for a quick celebration but then it was back to work, but our manager Louis gave us all a really beautiful watch each to mark the anniversary we were all made up!

Recently wev'e been all over the place Christmas in Popworld was fab we were all pleased with our version of 'All i want for christmas' because its a difficult song to sing. We loved the banners! It was so good to get all that support, Thanx you guys really make it worthwhile!

There was such a good vibe backstage and we loved performing with everyone at the end! Also thought Blazin Squad were great.

Looks like our lives are crazy until christmas with lots of promotion im sure the site will fill you all in and there are a handful of university gigs what are always totally kerazy!!! You can imagine.

Be seeing you soon

Lots of love

Kimberley

VN: Girls Aloud, we meet again...
Nicola: "Hello! Have you brought us chocolate again?"

VN: Yes I have, only the finest for my five favourite hot cakes.
Nadine: "Excellent I will put the kettle on, will you have tea or coffee?"

VN: Tea, I'll have it like I like my ladies - hot and strong, preferably German.
Nadine: "Here you go, tea and chocolate - the best combination!"

VN: So my little famous five, how have you been? I believe you have got involved in yet another movie?
Kim: "Yes! This one is called Freaky Friday, it is a Disney movie and it is really funny, it stars Jamie Lee Curtis."

VN: I saw it last night and laughed so hard I ruptured my groin, it was well worth the pain and subsequent surgery.
Cheryl: "Yeah it is really funny, we all thought it was a crazy film - it has been a big hit in America. We have done a song called You Freak Me Out for it."

VN: In the film the mother and daughter characters swap into each other's bodies, if you could swap into each other's bodies who would go where?
Sarah: "I would like to go into Nicola's to see what she gets up to."

VN: Would you run around naked and then check her bank account?
Kim: "No, I know what is in there, she's loaded, ha ha!"
Nadine: "Sometimes Nicola just bursts out laughing and I think she is mad so I want to see what is in her head. I think she is mental."

VN: Are you crazy Nicola?
Nicola: "No! No, I just get a little bit frightened sometimes, sometimes everything seems terrifying."

VN: You cannot all go into Nicola, she will be too crowded.
Kim: "I would like to enter Cheryl's body."

VN: Yes, me too. Moving on, your hit song Jump also appears in Love Actually, you appear to be obsessed with films at the moment - any chance of a Girls Aloud movie? I have written a script "Girls Aloud To Do Anything" but it might not be appropriate.
Sarah: "We have talked about that actually, we would like to do a spoof movie like the Spice Girls did, I think it would be a lot of fun."

VN: Who would you like to play you?
Sarah: "I want Brittany Murphy to play me, she is really cool!"
Cheryl: "I want Britney Spears to play me."

VN: Would you make her dye her hair black like yours?
Cheryl: "Yes, definitely, she would have to do everything I ask."

VN: I think your movie would be beautiful and...
Kim: "Beautiful, beautiful."

VN: Are you mocking my accent?
Nadine: "Yeah she is! She always mocks my Irish accent as well."
Kim: "I'm sorry, your accent is lovely, I have a dreadful accent - it is really rough. It was just a joke."

VN: Apart from spending time with me, what are your happiest ever memories in Girls Aloud?
Sarah: "Going to number one was the most amazing feeling."
Kim: "There have been lots of incredible moments in the band, it is hard to pick one. We have got to meet some incredible people and make a lot of dreams come true."

VN: Maybe we could send out an appeal on Virgin.net - any requests?
Nadine: "Yeah, I want Colin Farrell, he is gorgeous."

VN: No - he has had everybody, even me, pick somebody else.
Kim: "I really want Pharrell Williams"

VN: OK he is a cool choice; we will sort out a date for you. Girls Aloud, under the terms of the restraining order I can only be with you for brief moments, I must say farewell.
Nadine: "Thank you for the chocolate, we will miss you!"

The Allerton pop star and fellow band members have hit back after a newspaper report claimed they had been ordered to lose weight by their management.

The girls were furious as they are worried about the message it sends out to their young fans.

Kimberley said: "It is what is inside that counts. We would say eat healthily and be happy."

They have thousands of teenage fans after shooting to number one last Christmas with their debut single Sound of the Underground after winning telly battle Pop Stars: The Rivals.

Today Kimberley said the band always backed healthy eating campaigns and added: "None of us are on a diet. We are all fitter than we have ever been.

"We are working hard flying around Europe on promotional tours and we are happy the way we are."

And band member Sarah Harding backed her saying: "There's too much pressure on girls today to lose weight."

The "lose weight" report went out on the eve of the Disney awards this week where the band, singing live, collected the gong for Best Single. It claimed they had even been given a personal trainer and ordered to go through early morning workouts in a London park to shed pounds.

Their manager Louis Walsh, who had not seen them for a while, was said to have thought they were too weighty.

But Kimberley denied the reports - slammed as madness by a nutrition expert - saying the message to young girls should be about being happy in themselves.

And there should not be any pressure on them to change themselves.

Kimberley, added: "We do not know where the story came from - not from us. As a band we are very aware of what messages we give out. We want our friends to know we eat a regular, balanced diet - three meals a day type of thing - and we are all really happy as we are."

A nutrition expert slammed the "lose weight" order saying the pop world had gone mad if the girls had been told to slim down. As young women who are all dancers and performers they were in perfect shape, said Dr Anna Nicolaou from Bradford University. And telling them to slim would send the wrong message to impressionable youngsters.

Kimberley on Cheryl's conviction (from The Sun)

"What has happened with Cheryl has actually brought us all a lot closer. It could have been any one of us that got involved in a situation like that, where things go wrong, and we're so lucky that we all are genuinely the best of friends."

There's a definite chance of pace in your new single, 'Life Got Cold' compared to your first two releases. What made you choose it?
- I think we just wanted to show a different side really to Girls Aloud. We wanted to show that its not all hardcore and boppy drum'n'bass. Theres a balance to us and the album!

It sounds like it would of made a good christmas single...?
- We thought about that as well but the response we had to the track from fans was so, so big they just wanted us to release it. We got really good feedback on it from our website before we even decided to release it. That made up our minds for us.

Have you had anyone say to you it sounds like 'wonderwall' from 'Oasis'?
All-[laugh]Yea
Kim-There's like, a bar, two bars that sound like it. Theyr'e the only bits. {All hum the two bars}

Do you get a say in when singles are going to be released and what you're going to release next?
- Yea we discuss it with each other, the record company and our manager. With 'Life Got Cold' , at first we were going to do something else, but the five of us weren't really happy with it so we spoke to the record company and we all decided to go with this one, so then everybody was happy.

This is your third single, proving that your not one-hit wonders. Do you think that you've shaken off the whole Popstars-The Rivals thing?
- We're not going out of our way to do that.

So have you got any ideas for the new album?
- I think you only really find the sound of the album in the studio working with the producers.

Girls Aloud name and shame!

Now for the Nitty Gritty. POPWORLD ask the girls to quiz each other with a list of questions we hoped would reveal some interesting answers…

Kim to Nicola - Who has the worst dress sense out of us all??

Nicola - We all have different dress senses, like sarah would wear something I'd say 'Oh my god I'd never wear that' . I'd probably wear something she'd say the same about too.

Nicola to Kim - What song do you really hate?
Kim - That 'Fast food song' it drives me mad.

Kim to Cheryl- Who is the biggest crybaby out of us all ??
Cheryl-Sarah.
Sarah-And Cheryl. We're both quite emotional!
Cheryl-I cry for a reason, you cry because you're emotional!

Nadine to Sarah - Which boyband would Girls Aloud like to hang out with?
Sarah None of em!
All - None urgghh
Nadine -There all a bunch of wimps!
Sarah - We don't hang out with boys!
Kim - We like hanging out with each other.

Cheryl to Kim - Whos the best looking popstar youv'e met?
Kim - Beyonce, but we didn't really meet her. Oh Mis-teeq as well!

Kim to Nadine- Out of all of us who has the worst temper tantrums?
Nadine - Why ask me??!!
Kim - Cheryl
Cheryl - I'm not too bad, I don't have tantrums!

Nadine to Kim - Have you ever borrowed something of one of us, and accidentally forgot to put it back?
Kim - No!
Nadine - You stole my concealer
Kim - Oh my God
Nadine - And Nicola stole my foundation!
Nicola -Yeah

Kim to Nicola - Who has the worst music collection?
Nicola - You! You like all that r'n'b
Kim - Don't rip it!

Nicola to Sarah - Who's your best friend in the band?
Sarah - You're all my best friends!

Kim to Cheryl - If you had to choose a member of triple eight to get jiggy with, who would it be?
Cheryl - Why triple eight?
All - Why, why why!
Kim - She's not interested!
Cheryl - I would never choose one of them!

Nadine to Nicola - If you had to choose a sixth member to join Girls Aloud from the show who would it be?
Kim - We can't imagine anyone else being with us!
Nadine - Either Javine or Aimee

Kim to Sarah - What is your favourite track on the album and why?
Sarah - I still like SOTU, it was really original.

Sarah to Nicola - Who has the best dress sense out of all of us?
Sarah - Well you all know that's me come on!
Kim - In your dreams!
Nadine - Everybody has their own style!

Do you dread old age?
I look forward to eating loads of rubbish and getting fat. I love fat grandma's! Once you get to that age, you want to be cuddly, so you can eat whatever you want!

What do you reckon will start to sag first?
My boobs are quite small and pert, so I reckon I'll be lucky in that way, but my bums big, so that'll probably sag. I've no idea if Kylie has had a bum lift, but I'd be tempted to have one! I'm sure Kylie's bum is so small It'll probably stay where it is!

Is there any part of ageing that fills you with terror?
It doesn't matter what you look like. You must get to a point and think, Whatever!
The sun ages you though, and I'm still always tempted to go sunbathing. I know I've got no chance!

Do you use any strange homemade potions for eternal beauty?
When we were younger, me and my friends used to try making stuff with yoghurt.

Ever fancied alternative treatments?
The nearest I've got is going to a little place where they do massages and stuff. I'd like to go to a natural health spa and spend two days there getting massages!

What about plastic surgery?!
One day I might need it, but I'd like to avoid it. I think I might regret it if I'd have anything done.

Confide in us then - what are your essential make-up bag miracles?
This cheap moisturiser, I've used it since I was really young called cold cream. It's only £2 from Boots! I always slap loads of it on!

What a year! Are you loving it?
Nadine: It's been 8 months and we still can't believe it! There have been so many amazing moments. You have to pinch yourself.
Sarah : We did a signing recently for our new album and we got so over emotional. Everyone was shouting and there were cameras everywhere. It's like living in a dreamworld.

Before all this happened, did you always want to be singers?
Nadine: Yeah, always.
Kimberley: People think we just walked into an audition and became famous overnight, but we'd all been going to auditions for years and years.
Cheryl: That's definitely the advice I'd give any ELLE girls wanting to do this. Keep going and believe in yourself. You've got to really want it.

Who were your heroines when you were looking for your big break?
K: Beyonce Knowles , definitely. She's got the whole package. She's gorgeous, she writes, produces and her voice is incredible. I'd like to be her!

So is fashion important to you?
K: It always has been. Us Leeds girls are famous for dressing up!
S: Oh,definitely, We're all feisty girls with our own image and that was important to us right from the beginning of Girls Aloud.
Nadine: Yes, we always knew what we wanted. We even designed the Sound Of The Underground costumes ourselves. We sat down with the girl who makes our clothes and our stylist. We said we wanted a black and pink theme and then took it from there.

Are you all shopaholics, then?
K: The other day I was in Harrods getting my hair done so i sneaked out to French Connection and bought as much as I could in two minutes! I got some lovely low-slung jeans, a white vest and some baggy green summer trousers to wear with sandals. Not bad, considering!

Would you call yourselves high-street chick or designer divas?
Nadine: I like a mixture of high-street and designer, because top-to-toe labels can look really contrived.
K: Yeah, I want to look my age and designer labels are a bit conservative. But I love posh bags like Miu Miu and Gucci - they're so soft and come in lovely colours. I'm building up a bit of a collection!

Who takes the longest to get ready?
All: Sarah!
C : One night we supposed to be going out at 7pm and three hours later, no joking, she's finally ready!
Nadine: She's a high-maintenance girl!

Nadine, is Kimberley your best mate?
Nadine: Yeah, but as time's gone on we've all grown just as close.
K: We are all quite weirdly close, to be honest. Nadine and I don't spend more than two minutes apart!
S: They're like the awesome foursome with their boyfriends!
K: As if that's not weird enough, Cheryl goes out with my brother now! It's still quite new but it's nice that Cheryl knows he's not going out with her for the fame thing, because he's been through all that with me and he's not impressed. It's hard because they're two people I really love, so if anything goes wrong it's going to be awful.

Extracts from Interview in the Sun - Girls speak with one true voice (pics on the Sun site)

Talking about the boys' split for the first time exclusively to Sun Online Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine, Nicola and Sarah told us how sorry they felt for their former foes.

And the stunning fivesome were certain where they pinned the blame – squarely at the door of the lads' manager, and Pop Idol judge, Pete Waterman.

But that wasn't all Girls Aloud had to talk about in our webchat, they also gave us their tips for a healthy relationship and revealed who they think are the sexiest male celebrities.

So read on to find out lots more about the gorgeous girls, including the worst chat-up lines they have ever heard, and get an up close and personal look at Cheryl's tattoo.

Were you sad to see your TV rivals One True Voice split up and why do you think it happened so quickly?
Sophie, South East London
Kimberley – We genuinely do feel sorry for them, but if they weren't happy as a band then I don't blame them splitting up.

Do you agree with Louis Walsh that Pete Waterman ruined the boy's lives and should follow through on his promise to commit suicide?
Darren, Bath
Kimberley – Louis just comes out with things sometimes, he doesn't think before he speaks. I think he feels quite sorry for the boys.
Kimberley – Pete is definitely to blame. He produced the songs and made all the decisions on the direction of the band. And I think he made the wrong ones.
Kim - Pete thought both singles were going to be big hits and they weren't. They didn't even learn from the mistake of the first one. Although they got a No2, the feedback wasn't positive. So what did they do, release a second single that sounded the same!
All – We're so pleased we got Louis and not Pete!

First off, greetings from an American fan who just happened to come upon your awesome music thanks to Sun Online. Our music acts here suck these days, and it'd be nice to have some awesome sexy British gals come our way! How have your lives changed since you first stepped into the limelight?
Eric Hernandez, New Mexico, USA
Kimberley – I'm a lot happier now than I was. This is what I've always wanted to do, and it's much better than just constantly auditioning and waitrissing.

Hi guys you've been linked to many famous faces. Can you clear up the rumours and let us know who your current boyfriends are?
James, Newcastle
All – We're still with the boyfriends we were with before the band formed, except for Cheryl who is single.
Nicola is dating Liverpool student Carl Egerton, Sarah is with Mikey Green from Phixx – the Popstars runners-up – Nadine's boyfriend is Charlton Athletic's Neil McCafferty and Kimberley is also dating a footballer, Martin Pemberton from Stockport County.
Cheryl – None of us have any wedding plans at present, but I'll make sure Sun Online are the first to know when we do.

Who gets the most attention from men and do you get chatted up more now you're famous?
Darren, Preston
Sarah – Cheryl gets the most attention!
Cheryl – I don't take any notice of who's giving us attention, I'm really not bothered.
Kimberley – I honestly think I had more people chatting me up before the band as now people are more reluctant to approach us. (Give me half the chance, Kimberley... - Charlie)
Sarah – The decent ones are scared off, which means you only get the loonies coming up to you.
Kimberley – I always used to attract the obsessive weird ones anyway! (What do you mean "used to"? - Charlie)
Kimberley – I had a guy I went to school with who had an obsession with me, who now I'm in the band has had my face tattooed on his body.
He even emailed my brother asking for my autograph so he could that get that tattooed underneath it.
He must have found out where my brother worked, but he told him to go and do one. He's a bit protective my brother.

Cheryl – I hear you turned down Duncan from Blue, how could you? Have any of you snogged Lee as I hear he's done the rounds? Also who would you most like to get chatted up by?
Jenny, Southend
Cheryl – I'm not interested in Duncan.
Kimberley – And Lee's never tried it on with any of us.
Kimberley – I don't think there is anyone that fit out there at the moment who I'd want to chat me up (Ahem - Charlie). I do have a soft spot for Pharrell Williams from the Neptunes but I don't think I'll get to meet him.
Kimberley – Me, Nicola and Nadine went to see Eminem in concert and we got within metres of him. Nadine managed to keep her cool whereas we ran forward and jumped up and down.

What's the worst chat-up line you've ever heard?
Becky, Bristol
Kim – I don't do chat up lines, so don't try them with me lads!

How do you keep things spicy with your boyfriends when you get to see them?
John, Leeds
Kimberley – I think the fact I don't see my boyfriend that often keeps it fresh, and it's often nice that way. I think it's healthy.

Your video is set in glamorous New York, but were you upset that you filmed it in the grotty East End of London? And how did you make London look like New York?
Kelly, Swansea
Nicola – We all got really excited when we were told it was going to be set in New York, we had our bags packed and everything! We weren't best pleased when we found out it was being shot in the East End.
Cheryl – I was devastated.
Kimberley – It would have been nice to go away, but we don't really have time to spare at the moment.
Nadine – Hopefully on the next video we'll go somewhere exotic.
Sarah – Somewhere with a nice beach would go down a treat, although I don't think any of our songs would suit a beach.

I've been a fan since I first saw you all on Popstars. I was really sad to read at Christmas that your tour manager John McMahon had died in a car crash. How did his death affect you all?
Sue, Fulham
Kimberley – It's the hardest thing that's happened to us since being in the band. Even now there are certain things that remind us of him and it's not nice.
But we like to think he's still watching over us.

I've got a question for Nadine and Kim – what's it like living together and just how phat is your pad?
David, Wolverhampton
Nadine – Our place is gorgeous. When people come over to see it, they all say it's amazing. And Kimberley is a great flat mate.
Kimberley – We are dead house-proud. We like it when our families come down and stay – but they have to sleep on the floor!
It's a bit of a slumber party when everyone comes over. We sit up drinking all night and don't really get to sleep.
Cheryl – I live with Nicola but I'm sick of our place. It does my head in, I prefer Kimberley and Nadine's.
We only looked around for five minutes before moving in, and it wasn't the place we originally wanted.
Sarah – They were meant to live above me but now I'm on my own.
But I like it that way as I get the best of both worlds. I can't deal with my own mess let alone anyone else's! And I can pop round to the girl's for a brew whenever I want.
I definitely couldn't have all five us living together again – we couldn't put up with the mess.

Hi Nadine – how did you celebrate your 18th birthday?
Jake, Newcastle
Nadine – I was at home with all my family and friends. It was lovely as it was ages since I'd seen them.
And then when I got back to the flat Kimberley had balloons up.

You told me about your favourite biscuits in your last webchat, but what's your favourite cake?
Kitty, Wigan
Kimberley – Real carrot cake and chocolate brownies.

Did any of your dates pressure you to lose your virginity?
No, some of my close friends and i waited a while until we found someone who was worth doing it with. We didn't want to do it with a random lad from school, just for the sake of it. And we knew it wasnt that much of a big deal anyway!

Too right! So, what was your first snog like?
It was alright! Lots of people say their first kiss was awful but mine was OK. The boy i kissed was fine at the time, but he's grown up to be someone I wouldn't snog now!

What's your top snogging tip?
Try not to choke on the other persons tongue! That's always a bad move.

Did you suffer from any period traumas when you was a teenager?
I used to have the worst period pains. It almost made me faint at times. But my periods have got much better now, Thankfully!

Did boys ever tease you about the way you looked?
I went through a bit of an ugly stage when i was growing up, but it wasn't too bad. Boys used to tease me for having big lips - they used to call me rubber lips!. But now everyone says they like my lips! (Oh, yes - Charlie)

Which part of your body do you like the most?
I don't like really any part of my body that much, but if i have to say something, I'll say my stomach. I do sit-ups when I remember, so its quite flat. I don't like showing it off too much though. (We like you showing it off - Charlie)

So is there anything you'd change about your body?
Yes, my bum and my legs! (Shock, horror. Kim, you're gorgeous the way you are, esp your bum - Charlie) I'm a bit bigger on my bottom-half so I don't ever wear short skirts. I'm lucky as our stylist is brilliant - she knows how to emphasis my top half and dresses me in long skirts and low-waisted trousers.

How often do you manage to exercise?
Before i got into the band I went to the gym three times a week. I didn't like going but it made me feel better. But now I don't go at all. Our dance routines are the only exercise i do now, but they're not hard so it's not enough to keep me fit!

So how do you relax after a hard day?
Well, in the flat i share with Nadine, we've got a huge corner bath - its amazing! I love filling it up to the top, lighting some candles and soaking myself for hours on end! I like going the cinema a lot too - a bit of escapism is always good!

It's been a tough few months for Girls Aloud but they're not moaning. They've had two hit singles, they're all loved up, living together in London and enjoying life in the limelight...

The girls, who've just been nominated as Best newcomers in the Disney Kids Awards, are all dolled up for our meeting with just-straightened glossy hair and immaculate makeup. Any they are so closely draped around each other that it's impossible to tell which silver shoe, or killer heel, belongs to whom..

It turns out that Girls Aloud spend all their working hours together and also most of their waking hours. They live in London in three flats around the same complex. Sarah, who comes from Stockport, lives on their own while Kimberley shares with Nadine and Cheryl shares with Nicola.

Kimberley, Nadine and Nicola all have long-term boyfriends with whom they got together before joining Girls Aloud. Kimberley knows her boyfriend, Stockport County footballer Martin Pemberton, from home. The girls are so busy with the band that boyfriends have had to take second place, but Kimberley, who comes from Bradford and has the no-nonsense attitude that Yorkshire lads and lasses are famous for, says her relationship can cope. "We've been going out for over three years now, so we're strong and nothing's really going to spoil that. We understand and respect each other," she says.

Until recently, Cheryl was the only single member of the band. But that all changed a couple of months back when she got together with Kimberley's brother Adam. "Keep it in the family, it's safer that way, " laughs Kimberley, who introduced them "My brother and sister come down to see me quite a bit," she explains before Cheryl takes over..."I'd met all the rest of her family apart from her brother Adam." Kimberley again: "We all went out one night with our boyfriends. Cheryl and Adam were there and they just got it together."
"He's gorgeous," says Cheryl with a large soppy grin before collapsing in a pretend faint on the bed while the other girls squeal. "We've only been seeing each other for 12 weeks now, so it's still early days, but he's definitely lovely." (Kimberley was more recently heard on the radio saying that Cheryl is "playing the field" so looks like things may be over for Cheryl and Adam - Charlie)

With two hit singles behind them and an album that has earned them some grudging respect from the music press, GA have had a lot more success that the male winners of the show. One True Voice have already had one band member quit and are in danger of being dropped by their record company over poor sales (Too late - they've split - Charlie). So what do the girls thing of them? "Their music's not brilliant," says Kimberley with a bluntness that all the girls seem to share.

Because they started out on a TV show, GA get knocked by a lot of people for not being a 'real' band and being handed their success on a plate - and they don't like it. "Everybody starts from the same point, from nothing," says Nadine angrily. Kimberley adds: "We've done loads to get where we are, that's what really annoys me. We've all worked hard for years, but no one sees that, they think we just did an audition on telly."

TOTP: Do you think fake tan is better than the real thing?
Kimberley: I like the sun-kissed look. You can tell, there is a difference.

TOTP: Do you all tan easily?
Nadine: (pointing to Sarah and Kimberley) These two do.

TOTP: Do you cover up properly?
Nadine: Speak to Kimberley about covering up!
Kimberley: I'm really bad. I just want to get brown and sometimes I forget accidentally on purpose to cover up. (Tut tut, Kimberley - Charlie) I'm getting better though as I get older and I always put sun cream on my face as I'm scared I'm going to be a really wrinkly old woman.

TOTP: How about hair removal. How often do you leave it before you shave and have you ever gone down the waxing route?
Kimberley: I shave every day. I tried waxing once when I was younger and it hurt. I did one strip and there was blood and a bruise and it put me off for life.

TOTP: What are your essential make up items?
Kimberley: Mascara, bronzer and lipgloss.

TOTP: Do you always take your make up off before you go to bed or are there times when you can't be bothered?
All: Of course!

TOTP: What's your make up routine before you go to bed? Do you do all the cleansing, toning and moisturising?
Kimberley: I don't do the full toning, cleansing routine. I use a face wash, then wipes to make sure it's completely clean, then I apply loads and loads of moisturiser to my face so it's more or less white before I go to bed.

TOTP: Do you think it's worth spending loads of money on expensive products or do you go for the cheaper options?
Kimberley: I've never spent loads of money on face products and I just stick to what I know. The moisturiser I use is £2 from Boots and I've used it since I was 12 years old.
Nadine: I've copied Kimberley and bought the same moisturiser. Sometimes I'll get all this really expensive stuff because I like the smell but I think I'm going to stick to my cheaper moisturiser.

TOTP: What's the most you've ever spent on an item?
Nadine: I spent a fortune one day. I paid about £70 for a cleanser and moisturiser.
Kimberley: Was it magic cleanser or something?

TOTP: What would you do if you had a big gig the next day and a huge, humdinger spot appeared?
Kimberley: Don't touch it! Our make up artist is so good. She can cover anything up, so we don't worry too much. I used toothpaste on a spot recently. It scabbed and healed within the space of one day. I'd really recommend it.

TOTP: Do any of you paint your nails?
Kimberley: I used to have fake nails for a while but one time they started burning when they were being filed so I stopped. I've always been a bit obsessed with my nails. As a kid I'd spend ages trying stuff out. I don't have much time these days but I do try and keep them presentable.

TOTP: What are your top 3 beauty tips?
Nadine: I like Kimberley's Boots miracle moisturiser. Cheap and cheerful.
Kimberley: Sudacreme. If you put it on spots before you go to bed it helps them heal.

Having thrashed the boys' band in Pop Stars: The Rivals, they were expected to make just one naff single and then disappear. But instead, they stormed the number-one spot and proved that there's nothing artificial about this manufactured group. Barbara Ellen charts the irresistible rise of Girls Aloud

When Girls Aloud tell me quite adamantly that they never felt competitive towards each other on the show that spawned them, Pop Stars: The Rivals, I'm afraid my first reaction is one of total incredulity. After all they went through, week after week, they must have wanted very badly to win, they must surely have been prepared to bite off each other's eyelashes for it. But no, almost a year on, all five girls insist that this was never the case. On Pop Stars: The Rivals, each week one of the original 10 met Death by Public Phone Vote, after singing live in front of a panel of experts. After they'd sung, the two girls with the least amount of votes would stand either side of presenter Davina McCall, holding her hands, as she revealed who was to stay and who was to go. Good wannabe telly, yes, brilliant even, but cruel. If self preservation was ever going to kick in, that would have been the time. But no, Girls Aloud say as one, nothing could have been further from their minds.

'What you've got to understand is that to watch other people go through it was to go through it yourself,' says 21-year-old Kimberley Walsh.

When the girls did make it into the band, they had mixed reactions. Kimberley felt terrible. 'It took me a long time to think, "Well, they picked you, you might as well enjoy it."' It sounds to me like they were all suffering from a bad case of survivor's guilt, which must be a first for a reality TV show.

The first time I meet Girls Aloud, they're making the video for their third single, 'Life Got Cold'. On being told that it would be filmed 'New York style', they'd apparently got all excited and started mentally packing their suitcases, little realising the implication of the word 'style'. We all end up at the television studio complex in London's East End, where Footballers' Wives is filmed and the original Big Brother house used to stand. There's a mock-up of a New York alleyway, complete with fire escape and sofa, but it's all a very long way from Manhattan.

Kimberley (long hair, languid as a cat, often referred to as a 'Yorkshire sex-pot') is being filmed, while Sarah Harding (blonde, sexy, from Stockport, formerly one of FHM magazine's High Street Honeys) has yet to change into her stage gear. The High Street Honey shuffles around in a pair of fluffy purple slippers. 'The others said they were going to dress down, too. But when I got here I was the only one.'

What do people think of Girls Aloud? It probably comes as a nice surprise to the band themselves that, a year from conception, anyone's still thinking about them at all, never mind the fact that in many quarters they're considered the height of critical chic.

What Girls Aloud were expected to do was record a naff single that sounded vaguely like Atomic Kitten, come second to One True Voice in the race for the Christmas number-one spot (it's young girls who buy most of these records), and then quietly fade away, just five more satin body bags for the big pop graveyard in the sky. What Girls Aloud did do was release a fresh, edgy single, 'Sound of the Underground', that pushed One True Voice very firmly into second place and ultimately into oblivion. After that, 'No Good Advice' went to number two, while the album was almost universally well received. When I meet Girls Aloud for the second time, in a central London hotel room, Cheryl counts some of their better reviews off on her fingers: 'Best album of the year, best album of the decade, best album of the century! We even had one say: "Ssh, don't tell anybody but we adore Girls Aloud."' She smiles triumphantly. 'They're actually saying, we don't want to like them, but we can't help it.'

Would they have liked a couple of boys in their band? 'NO!' Girls Aloud cry in unison. 'We wouldn't be Girls Aloud then, would we?' says Cheryl. Why do they think they beat One True Voice last Christmas - everyone thought the boys would walk it? 'Just a better song,' says Nadine. 'The thing about that was we thought all the girls would buy their single and we weren't going to get to number one, so we were just having a laugh,' says Kimberley.

The key to Girls Aloud might be just this kind of chutzpah. The sheer cheek of them. That and their willingness to graft. In all my years interviewing pop stars, I think this must be the first time I've heard anyone say that the workload, though intense, isn't as bad as they thought it would be. Since when did a pop band not take an opportunity to moan on about their gruelling schedules? Digging a bit deeper, it turns out that they're part of a new generation who've grown up reading interviews not for the lowdown on what it is to be a pop star, but for information about how to be one.

they insist that, while they're happy to accept guidance and advice from Walsh and their record company team, they have their say in everything that goes on in the band. For instance, they opposed the first suggestion for their second single. 'We're the artists,' says Cheryl. 'If we don't want to do something, we're not going to to do it.' Would they describe themselves as feminists? For the first time in the interview, five faces look totally blank. 'We're girls' girls,' says Kimberley, eventually. 'But we're not feminists, we're not man-haters or anything.' Feminism isn't about hating men, I say, and you do seem to have a feminist mind-set, where your careers are concerned. 'I think I'm a feminist for certain things,' pipes up Nadine. 'I just can't think of one now.' Cheryl puts down her drink and and grins: 'You know what? I don't know about feminism, but I may be a bit of a man-hater.'

Talking to Girls Aloud is exhausting, but in a nice way. I'd like to say they remind me of my youth, but I don't think I ever looked that good or spewed such energy. At times, their conversation tumbles about like a box full of puppies, with them finishing each other's sentences and squealing with laughter for no reason at all. At others, they give serious thought to the questions, peppering their responses with strangely anachronistic phrases such as: 'At the end of the day', 'In the limelight' and 'Go with your heart'. At times like this, for all their modern crackle, Girls Aloud seem as heartbreakingly old fashioned and British as Dame Vera Lynn. They couldn't have nick-names like the Spice Girls, but they seem to fall into brackets. Nicola and Cheryl seem to provide the frisky tomboy element. Nadine and Kimberley exude a more grown-up sophistication, Sarah seems to seque smoothly between the two camps. The word they over-use most is 'definitely', as in: 'We love what we do, definitely,' and, 'We'll all stay friends, definitely.' 'Definitely', one realises, is a very Girls Aloud kind of word.

All the members of Girls Aloud came from ordinary backgrounds. All have siblings. None of them cared much for school. Kimberley went to Leeds University to study media and English, but not with any great intent. 'I did the university thing, so I wouldn't feel like a complete dosser, but I stopped when this came up.'

After school, there were the usual casual jobs. Kimberley once taught Down's syndrome children to dance. But the point was always to keep things freed up for the auditions, the big breaks they felt they couldn't miss, the dreams they had to chase. When I ask them what they would have done had they not got into Girls Aloud, all five girls say the same thing: they'd have just kept on trying until they made it.

Now they have made it, what makes them feel most like pop stars? 'When you get out of the car and there's paparazzi and security everywhere,' giggles Cheryl. 'But you think it's funny,' says Kimberley. 'You think it's stupid. You feel out of the situation.' Right now, they all live in a luxury apartment block in north London, in an arrangement which sounds like pop boarding school. Sarah on her own, Nadine sharing with Kimberley, Cheryl sharing with Nicola, in a flat which is reputedly the classic teenage pigsty.

The interview is over. The girls jump up out of their seats like jack-in-the-boxes, still chattering, laughing and crackling with energy. No, Girls Aloud are not going to change the world, but they're far from being sad little pop muppets. They could well be pop's third way - lively, knowing, gutsy, determined, innocent without being naive, committed but not remotely precious. And so happy and excited. I sincerely hope that I'm not reading interviews in a couple of years' time where they're saying how miserable and exploited they'd been in Girls Aloud, but I doubt that will happen. They even seem to have a game plan for when it's all over. 'The public might decide that they don't want us any more and we'll have to call it a day,' says Nadine. 'But we'll stay friends, definitely.'

DO FANS MAKE YOU FRIGHTENED?
oh , yeah

DO YOU GET LOADS OF MALE ATTENTION NOW?
nope! (yeah, right Kimberley, as if!)

DO BOYFRIENDS GET JEALOUS?
what's hard is when you're apart and on the phone going , ' i miss you!' then you get really depressed!

HAVE YOU MET ANY POP BOYS YOU FANCY?
me , nicola and nadine think justin's fit and i like robbie's looks.

WOAH! YOUR STYLE SHENANIGANS CAUSEDQUITE A STIR IN THE PAPERS! HOW DID THAT FEEL?
the space-age look is on the catwalks at the moment. we're ahead of our time!

ANY SILLY STORIES MADE YA GIGGLE?
i didn't like it when they said i'd be a diva like j-lo. the popstars vote was days later and i was scared people would have me put out!

EVER HAD A GIRL BEEN NASTY TO YOU IN THE STREET?
sometimes you can see girls staring at you

YOUR ALB'S IN THE SHOPS! CAN YOU DESCRIBE IT?
there are pop songs, disco, ballads, everything! you get your money's worth. i hate it when you buy an album and it has only three good songs!

WHO'LL BE THE FIRST TO GET MARRIED AND HAVE BABIES?
Cheryl: kimberley's more or less married now!

WHER WILL YOU BE IN TEN YEARS TIME?
i'd act, maybe in a musical!

The brother of singing star Kimberley Walsh is being feted by one of the judges on the hit TV show Popstars: The Rivals. Younger brother Adam caught the eye of multi-million selling pop svengali Louis Walsh after stumbling into live filming for the show wearing just a towel. Westlife manager Louis has been pestering the 18-year-old for recordings of his voice since the incident which occurred when a film crew called unexpectedly at the family's Allerton home to tell Kimberley she had made it into the Popstars house.
Adam, unaware of what was going on, walked straight out of the shower in front of the cameras.
And the Bradford and Bingley human resources employee has encouraged the interest of the ITV talent show judge by saying he is happy to listen to offers. But Adam said his first wish was for the public to vote his big sister into the girls' group in Saturday's Popstars: The Rivals final.
"Louis keeps asking me whether I can sing and asking for a recording of my voice," he said. "I don't know if being a pop star is really for me, but if Louis offered me something I would have to think about it. It would definitely beat working for a living! At the moment the most important thing is that Kimberley makes the band when she sings on Saturday."
His mum Diane said: "Every time we go down to the Popstars shows Louis is always telling Adam he would be perfect for a boy band. I believe if that is what he wants he should give it a go."
Adam has already enjoyed a taste of the limelight when he landed a role in Heartbeat at the age of eight. He and his three sisters - Kimberley, 21, Amy, 15, and Sally, 23 - all went to star factory, Stage 84. The stage school will be holding its Christmas show at the Old Bell Chapel in Shipley while Kimberly makes her make-or-break performance in front of millions of TV viewers. Principal Val Jackson has made a phone available backstage for her performers to vote for Kimberley and supplied a television for them to check on her progress. She said: "Adam is a good-looking young man. If Louis wants him then he must have something special. Adam should go for it because he has definitely got what it takes. All the family are very talented and everybody here will be delighted if Kimberley makes the band. Everyone has very fond memories of her at Stage 84. By the age of 11 she already had a beautiful voice and could reduce an audience to tears."

ALOUD AND PROUD
Simon Gage talks to reality pop princesses come street tuff slags Girls Aloud.

Girls Aloud are shagged. Right out.Which is why they're slumped all over each other in a swanky north London studio, huddled up in furry parkas ( even though it's quite a hot day)like girls who sit at the back of the class that everyone - including the teachers - is just a little bit scared of. But then thats the appeal of Girls Aloud:their ordinariness, the fact that they probably were not so long ago the girls who sat at the back of the class.
Until prime-time audiences voted them - out of ten wannabes - into Girls Aloud and then bought them to number one with their genius rockability cracker, Sound Of The Underground.

Cheryl (you'll have read about her contretemps with a washroom attendant)is the geordie with a lot to say for herself, Nadine is the Irish beauty with what is generally thought to be the best voice, Kimberley sounds like Lisa Stansfield and can give as good as she gets, while Nicola, the red-head and blonde bombshell Sarah, would give mice a good run for their money in the quietness stakes (they hardly make a squeak during our interview!). Put it together and you have a Spice Girls for the reality tv generation.

HAVE YOU HAD A HARD WEEKEND?
kimberley : Busy.We went to Holland to do some awards show. We saw Robbie Williams,Kelly Rowland, Blue, Big Brovaz,Craig David..
nadine : And Ricky Martin. I think he's definitely gay.

DO U GET DISRESPECT FROM OTHER POP STARS BECAUSE THE REALITY TV THING?
nadine : If anyone slags us of , its just their insecurities of us nicking their fans.
cheryl : We've worked a damn sight harder than they have. We've had to sing live in front of goodness knows how many million people and be judged.

BUT WHEN U COMPARE YOURSELVES TO SOMEONE LIKE DAVID GRAY WHO'S SPENT 10 YEARS WORKING ON IT IN HIS BEDROOM AND **** PUBS......
cheryl : But don't you think we did? People think that one day we just thought , 'Ooh i want to be a pop star. I'll try that'.I was writing and recording tracks since i was twelve years of age.
I've had record company doors shut in my face for years.It was just an easier option.

AND THE PEOPLE WHOP LEARNT TO PLAY, DESIGNED THEIR OWN LOOK,CAME UP THROUGH THE CLUBS, WHO WERE THEIR OWN CREATION....?
nadine : Who were then manufactured as soon as they were signed! People like David Gray,Coldplay, Marlyn Manson..Record companies are not going to put their money into you unless they've got you the way they want you.

IS IT HARD TO JUMP FROM THE TV THING TO BEING A CREDIBLE BAND?
cheryl : At the end of the day 12 million people sat at home to spend their money to get us into the band. So, what is this whole problem with treality tv stars? We're all talented and we're all singers like anyone else out there.
kimberley : People can't wait for the next celebrity.

IS IT A BIT LIKE A CELEBRITY CONVEYOR BELT WHERE ONE COMES OFF THE END AND A NEW GETS ON? AND THEY'RE ALL INTERCHANGEABLE?
nadine : There's only one reality tv band that's failed and that's Hear'Say.

DO U HAVE TO SIGN YOUR LIVES AWAY BEFORE U EVEN GO IN FOR IT?
kimberley : You obviously have to sign some sort of contract but we're not stupid.

THERE WAS THE GIRL WHO LEFT BECAUSE SHE SAID THE CONTACT WAS RUBBISH.....
nadine : That had nothing to do with contracts. That had to do with her fiance.She was just a weirdo and her boyfriend ruled her life. It was sick. At that stage there was no contract.
She wouldn't have got in anyway. She was ****!.
kimberley : I feel sorry for her in a way.
cheryl : I don't.

YOU'VE ALL GOT BOYFRIENDS EXCEPT CHERYL. HAVE YOU BEEN THROUGH A SLUTTY PHASE?
cheryl : We're only kids man, leave us alone.
kimberley : I don't think any of us are that kind of girl.
cheryl : If you want this [pointing to her body], you have to work hard. We don't just give it away.

THAT'S QUITE OLD FASHIONED!
nadine : Some girls are just, ' I want to shag you. Lets go'. I think fair play. Be an open slag rather than a closet slag and be all ' I would never do that' and then go and suck his dick round the corner. Know what I mean?
kimberley : I can't believe what you just said! I don't think decent blokes want girls like that for a girlfriend. Just for sex.
nadine: :They don't want used goods but they're willing to use it. Bastards!

IS THERE ANY CONTRADICTION BETWEEN BEING GOOD GIRLS THEN AND APPEARING ON THE FRONT OF FHM WEARING NEXT TO NOTHING?
nadine : Can you not be good and sexy at the same time?
kimberley : No one has been on the cover with that many clothes on. They wanted us in a bikini and we persuaded them that we really didn't want to wear a bikini. I think that's pushing it too far. We were just wearing what we would have gone out in.

ITS A BIT OF A MIXED MESSAGE. LIKE BRITNEY SPEARS.....
cheryl : I think Britney Spears is a good role model for kids. She says she's a virgin and that she respects herself.

BUT SHE DRESSES LIKE A SLUT...
kimberley : Does it mean that just 'cause you're a virgin you can't dress sexy? Yeah, go out and tease men, I think its quite funny.
cheryl : Its got nothing to do with anyone else whether she's having sex or not.

BUT THAT'S THE DEAL WHEN YOU SIGN UP TO BE A FAMOUS PERSON.
cheryl : No , it's not. We're in the public to make music and sell records. We're not in the public to discuss our sex lives.

SOME KIND OF MIRACLE - We're slowing it down with this one. It's quite a catchy, teenage story and it could be our next single.

ALL I NEED (ALL I DON'T) - Not my fave, but this is a musically strong track with some low vocals. It's just sexy grunting, really!

LIFE GOT COLD - We love this one. It's quite miserable, but in a good way.

MARS ATTACK - A more upbeat tune than our two singles - it'll get you up and dancing.

STOP - This one's really '60s and it's quite different to the rest of the album.

GIRLS ALLOWED - This is the one that Bryan Westlife wrote for us, and it's quite poppy.

FOREVER AND A NIGHT - This would make a really great Christmas single because it does remind you of that time of year.

LOVE/HATE - It's actually a drum'n'bass ballad about being stuck in a rut.

BOOGIE DOWN LOVE - Bit of a mad one this. It's a bit '60s and really up tempo.

DON'T WANT YOU BACK - We recorded this in Sweden - it's quite edgy.

WHITE LIES - This has an eerie, almost dramatic feel to it.

LOVE BOMB - Loads of mad '80s sounds here. It's a pretty quirky track.

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED - Slightly R'n'B with a really catchy chorus - it's about women saying, "I'm the boss."

Defiant Kimberley says she is proud of her J-Lo curves - even though the has often had to deal with some unflattering pictures. Apparently the 21 year old was very upset when I printed a snap of her sticking her bottom out at the G-A-Y club night because it made her rear look pretty big.
She says "I have seen some awful pictures of myself but I'm not going to go on a diet because of that. People think popstars are obsessed with food but it's just not true in our case. We just enjoy the singing and eating chocolate. The way we look at it is if someone sees a bad picture of us then they can take some comfort in it about their own bodies. We're under no pressure over what we eat. But unfortunately we don't have time to go to the gym which is a little bit annoying. Luckily we work hard and do a lot of dancing which helps.
"The fact we are all different shapes and sizes means people probably can relate to us all in different ways. If J-Lo lost her shape, I don't think people would be happy. I find comfort in women like J-Lo and Beyonce Knowles - they have nice, naturally curvy figures."
Kimberley, from Bradford, West Yorks, is still smitten with her boyfriend, Stockport County footballer Martin Pemberton. But she confesses that her attendance at Edgeley Park has been a little bit on the slack side lately. She says "I haven't been for a while because we've been so busy but Martin has been really supportive and has been to our gigs." ["If someone sees a bad picture of us"? Don't think that's gonna happen Kimberley. Charlie]

'I DON'T THINK ONE TRUE VOICE EVER REALLY LOOKED LIKE A PROPER BAND'
What's the general reaction been to Girls Aloud? A right slagging off?
Kimberley: It's been really positive, everyone's giving us loads of support.
Cheryl: Nobody's been like a real dog - still looking for one though! You kind of expect it, but again that's people's perceptions. We met Mutya from the Sugababes, and they say she's moody and arrogant, but she's not at all.
What other famous people have you met?
C: One famous person, I'm not going mention names, did try the same chat-up line with me and every single one of us.
Sarah: Oh him! He must be gagging for it.
Is it a boy band member?
Nicola: Not telling!
K: His line was like, 'Oh, I really feel you!' So cheesy!
And you've all been on the receiving end of 'kiss and tells'?
C: Just a load of lies, basically. Nasty things. Even the words they used, like 'rogered from behind'. It was an ex-boyfriend who did it. I was gutted.
S: Quite a few have sold their stories about me - just bullshitters, the lot of them. Every time they do it it's upsetting, but at the end of the day they're making fools out of themselves.
C: Yeah, 'cause no-one reads them and thinks 'Oh my God she's such a slapper!', they just think 'What a stupid person!' Money talks to tramps.
This new life of yours - is it all sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll?
C: Take out the drugs, and the sex as well 'cause I 'aint getting any, so I suppose it's just rock 'n' roll for me! I've seen what drugs have done to other people. I don't get it really. Some people say they take them to escape reality, but I'd rather deal with my problems.
So, you're having a bit of a dry spot sex-wise?
C: I know! It's awful! I'm not like that anyway: I just don't meet anybody and sleep with them. I was in a relationship for two years, from 16 to 18. It's a long time when you're that young, and he was like 25.
Is he back in Newcastle?
C: Yes. Best place for him! He sold his story too. Told them we had sex in the bath - not like it's the crime of the century or anything.
You must get offers.
C: No!
Nic: She checks loads of boys out, but she's always like, 'Nah, next!'
You must be going to the wrong places.
C: Should be going to G-A-Y, shouldn't we?
How was G-A-Y?
Nad: Oh it's amazing! We're doing it again in a few weeks. Some boy tried to pick my boyfriend up there! He does appreciate a good-looking boy, though. We were both looking at some pictures of Justin Timberlake with not much on, and we were both like, 'God, I didn't know he had such a nice body!' and then my boyfriend was like 'Let's go into the bathroom with the pictures and, you know...'! [laughs]
So who lives with who?
Nic: Me and Cheryl share.
C: Nicola is messy! Really bad!
Are we talking stray tampons?
All: Urghhhhhhhhh!
S: Clothes and dirty plates on the floor, that sort of thing!
Nic: Me and Cheryl shared a room in the Popstars house too.
C: Big mistake!
Nic: You couldn't see the floor, it was like a river of filth.
And you wonder why you're not getting a make love to!
C: Oi! There's a difference between dirt and a mess. Anyway, it's her [pointing to Nicola] who's Stig!
S: Stig of the Dump!
C: That's her new nickname!
S: And I'm on my own at the moment.
C: Not completely on your own!
S: My fella stays quite a bit. Been with him for about six months. It's alright [grinning]. We're getting on at the moment! It was a bit rocky at the start, 'cause we're both doing similar things [Sarah's boyf is Popstars' runner-up Mikey Green, now in Phixx], but things have settled down.
What about you, Cheryl, and Haydon [from Reborn In The USA]? Aren't you two doing it?
C: I've known him for years, 'cause we used to see each other around, then I met up with him again on Valentine's Day.
S: Wonder why?! Someone dragged you out!
C: Yeah, Sarah took me out...
S: ...and it just so happened he was there! But it really was a coincidence.
C: I've seen him since, and we speak on the phone and stuff, and there's definitely a chemistry between us, but I'm not looking for anything at the minute.
Nic: She's happy just playing around with boys!
C: So many gorgeous men, so little time!
What is it then, window shopping?
C: Window shopping, but the purse never comes out!
So is the purse coming out with the rest of you girls?
C: The purse is out on the table and the money's spent!
Nic: We've all got boyfriends! [It's] just Cheryl who's alone!
C: I'm the only one with brains!
S: These three have all got long-term boyfriends, I'm kind of in the middle...
C: ...and I'm nowhere to be seen! Sarah's boyfriend's quite big on the gay scene!
Nic: He does have quite a gay look to him!
C: He does! He's quite camp-looking.
Nic: He's bisexual.
C: Is he?
S: No! [affronted]
C: Oh God, thought I had some scandal there. Never mind.
S: Mikey and me are going great, thank you! He's in the band made up of the five who didn't make it into One True Voice. It was probably for the best - I don't think One True Voice ever really looked like a proper band.
C: Did you not read that Sarah wants to sleep with me?
Would you?
S: That would be telling!
C: Tell the truth Sarah, we've snogged!
S: No we haven't! I'd rather set her up with a gorgeous guy before I stoop so low!
Your first album's out next month. Nervous?
C: Really scared. What if no-one buys it? Could you imagine? Like once I went to Newcastle United to watch them play, and they put me on the pitch at half time, and they played 'Sound Of The Underground' and I was thinking, 'Could you imagine if I walked onto that pitch and not one person even looked or clapped or nothing?' I would have died a death! And it's that same feeling with releasing this album, just not knowing.
If it all ended tomorrow, what would you do?
S: God, don't say that! It's only just begun! I suppose we'd just carry on, trying to do the same thing. You have to.
And if it did, what's been the best bit?
S: What you trying to say?! [laughs]
Nic: All the partying! I'm the party animal!
C: Pisshead!

I have a cool BF but last week I kissed someone else. I don't wanna break up with him, should I confess???
Nadine: That's difficult because you don't want to hurt him. I think you should talk to each other because if you start kissing other guys there must be something wrong in your relationship.
Kimmi: I think you should confess! No matter how difficult it is! Otherwise you'll be walking around with a guilty conscience! [Not the best reason to confess! Charlie]

My best friend and I are in love with the same guy and I think that he likes me too. Can I start something with him???
Nadine: You need to think about who is more important: your friend or that boy...The chance is very big that your friendship will be destroyed if you start something with this boy!! But if he is IT!! Maybe should take the bet!!

My new BF wants to have sex with me but I don't know if I'm ready but I am afraid he will break up if I don't?
Nadine: Never have sex when you're not ready because the first time is something you will experience only one time!!
Kimmi: Nice guys will wait till your ready or else they aren't nice guys!

My best friend hates my new BF but I don't know why, what should i do?
Nadine: I should listen very well to your friend because maybe she knows something you don't know about your lover because you are blinded by love!!

My BF gets horny of GA but he says I shouldn't worry to much...?
Kimmi: Your BF is a bit right there. I guess you also have your own idols?
He may look at us but you are the one he is kissing and the one he walks alongside with!! And I'll promise you we won't take him away from you hahaha.
Nadine: don't worry our BF's also like Britney and J.LO!

Every time I go out with a boy, I don't know what to talk about...what should I do??
Kimmi: I think you just didn't meet the right guy because if you find someone who really matches it follows itself!! Look for someone who really has humour and then start dating! Just watch it, it comes naturally then!

My BF wants to kiss other girls as well but that idea drives me crazy. Something like this ain't normal in a relationship is it?
Kimmi: No it's not normal at all! There isn't 1 girl or boy that likes it if his or her GF/BF is kissing around with others! My advice is break up with this guy!
Nadine: My advice is to tell your BF: okay but then i want to kiss with other guys to, let's start with that nice friend of yours! Let's see if he still thinks it's a good plan ! Want to bet he doesn't?

Staff at HMV on Broadway said the battle of the sexes was swinging Girls Aloud's way after female fans showed solidarity with the Allerton singer.

And Kimberley's mum Diane said she had received a text message from her daughter, who is keen to know the reaction of her home city.

"It is just so exciting. We are still having to pinch ourselves sometimes and trying to carry on as normal while all this is going on," she said. "The song deserves to be number one. It's a good song and the video is great."

Mrs Walsh, a teacher at Lidget Green Primary School, said pupils were also popping along to record shops to buy Sound of the Underground.

Girls Aloud are battling it out with boy band One True Voice from TV's Postars: The Rivals in the race to be the Christmas number one. Matt Sidwell, assistant manager at HMV on Bradford, said the girl band had edged ahead midweek and nationally the girls are roughly 8,000 copies out in front.

"It is definitely more girls buying the single and showing support for Kimberley," he said. "It is outselling the boys by about three to two at the moment in this store, probably because of the local interest but also because girls have two CDs - one with mixes on - as well as a cassette."

He said One True Voice's song Sacred Trust was typical Pete Waterman.

"The girls' single has definitely got a bit more of an edge to it, it's more punchy and original. I've not bought it yet but I might do so they are number one."

Sales so far this week shows that both acts could sell more than 200,000 copies of their debut singles in the race for Christmas number one.

Andy Taylor, betting operations manager at bookies John Wood on Westgate, said Girls Aloud were now 1-3 on to win the coveted slot.

He said: "It is apparently outselling the boys by two to one. It went favourite on Monday and it has just been backed and backed. Blue fans bought their single last week so it looks a certainty.

"We usually take about £500 on this market but we've taken a bit more with the interest in Kimberley so maybe her relatives are having a flutter."

Rachael Ockerby, administrator at Dance Machine in Shipley, said they were hoping former pupil Kimberley would fit in a visit over Christmas.

"We have 400 pupils and I would say 99 per cent of them have bought the single," she said. "They love it because its a funky, upbeat kind of song and they are already doing dance routines to it."

Pop Idol contender Danny Tetley, of Shipley, who releases his debut single in March, said: "I spoke to Kimberley yesterday and I think she's confident. She said she's not keen on the boys' single and I think its really bland and boring."