Girls Aloud have opened up about their 2024 UK and Ireland tour, revealing that late bandmate Sarah Harding suggested they reform during her cancer battle.
READ MORE: Sarah Harding 1981-2021: The rockstar of Girls Aloud who transcended pop’s confines
The iconic ‘00s girl group announced details of their reformation last night (November 22), confirming that members Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl and Nadine Coyle would be coming together for a run of live shows next year.
The 2024 gigs will mark their first performance as a group since 2013, it will also be their first tour since the death of bandmate Sarah Harding, who passed away in 2021 due to breast cancer.
Now, the members have opened up on why it was the right time for them to join forces again, and explained how the idea was first put forward to them by Harding amid her battle with cancer.
“It’s hard to talk about it,” Roberts told British Vogue in a new interview. “It’s hard for us to be here without her. It was our 20th anniversary last year but we were in no emotional shape to even contemplate celebrating it at the time. Everything went out the window when we learnt about her diagnosis. We just needed to be there for her and support her as much as we could.”
Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Cole and Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud perform on stage. CREDIT: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
Cheryl continued, recalling the time Harding was staying with her in her Surrey home during her final months, and suggested that the members ought to plan something again – even if she weren’t there to take part.
“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…” Cheryl recalled. “We just thought some miracle was going to occur. We all thought we might be able to do something together.”
Although the 2024 dates mark their first time touring together since Harding’s death two years ago, Walsh recalled how the members came together last year and “channelled our grief” into raising money for The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal. As well as this, she continued, they still want to “give Sarah her moment on this tour” too, and are expected to dedicate some parts of the upcoming performances to the late singer.
That being said, Cheryl confirmed that there are no plans to release any new material because the members aren’t willing to share something new without Harding. “We couldn’t because Sarah wouldn’t be included in that newness,” she said.
Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts and Cheryl at BBC Radio 2 to announce the comeback of Girls Aloud on November 23, 2023 in London, England. CREDIT: Neil Mockford/GC Images/Getty
“This is about celebrating the 20 years we’ve all had. So the tour has got to be inclusive of Sarah because she’s such a massive part of our make-up. It will never feel like the old Girls Aloud again but we’ve reached a point where we feel ready to celebrate all of it. Sarah included.”
Girls Aloud have unveiled their arena tour for 2024, which will take place around the UK in May and June. The tour will be “a celebration of Girls Aloud’s rich back catalogue and all the ground-breaking success they have achieved as a band.” The band have also been hinting that they are open to making an appearance at Glastonbury 2024.
Tickets will go on pre-sale on Wednesday, November 29 at 9am, with the general on sale Friday, December 1 at 9am – get them here.
The post Girls Aloud reveal late Sarah Harding suggested they reform following cancer diagnosis appeared first on NME.
