‘We’re trying to keep Sarah’s spirit alive’, Kimberley Walsh on Girls Aloud’s ‘gut-wrenching’ tour & the band’s future
WHILE most of us are only getting into the Christmas spirit now, Kimberley Walsh is such a fan of the festive season that she’s had her decorations up since early November.
“I’ve already turned my house into a grotto,” she laughs.
“It is a bit full-on. It does get earlier and earlier every year, but we waited until the start of December for the tree, as it’s a real one. Then it’s proper Christmas!”
The Girls Aloud singer, who is mum to Bobby, 10, Cole, seven, and three-year-old Nate with husband Justin Scott (42-year-old actor and former boy-band singer), is thrilled that her children embrace the magic as much as she does.
“Bobby said to me: ‘I really love that you go all out, Mum.’ They actually appreciate it. Nate keeps saying to me: ‘Is Santa coming today?’
“That’s the only problem with getting your decorations up this early, but that’s what it’s all about – giving them that warm feeling.”
Although, if there’s one thing that Kimberley finds anything but magical, it’s Elf On The Shelf.
“It gives me anxiety!” she says. “I have to have an alarm on my phone now, because so many mornings, I’ve woken up at 5am and had to run down to do it. And it’s so lame!
“People do incredible things, but I don’t. And if I do ever get creative for one day, it probably seems really out of character.”
As well as inviting family to join them in their home on the big day, Kimberley, 43, is planning a festive get-together with Girls Aloud.
She says: “We used to do Christmas presents for each other in the past, now we usually all meet up. I’m having everyone over for cheese and wine. We can have a little catch-up and it just feels really Christmassy.”
Kimberley, Cheryl and Nicola Roberts had always remained close friends – Nicola and Kimberley were pictured supporting Cheryl at Liam Payne’s funeral last month, and Kimberley’s boys are said to be very close to Liam and Cheryl’s seven-year-old son Bear.
However, it wasn’t until after the death of their band mate Sarah Harding – who passed away from breast cancer, aged 39, in 2021 – that they reignited their friendship with Nadine Coyle.
And despite reports that Nadine and Cheryl had been at loggerheads over the years, they are all now closer than ever thanks to their tour, The Girls Aloud Show, which kicked off in May.
“We all reconnected in a really solid way, and that happens really quickly when you’re spending every day together.
“I’d still speak [to Nadine], but we’d lost touch on that level. That was one of the real treats of this whole thing, because I’d forgotten how hilarious she is. She had us howling.
“I loved learning the things we’d missed out on. It’s different now that we’ve got kids. Our eldest kids are similar ages [Nadine has a 10-year-old daughter Anaíya with ex Jason Bell] and we keep running into each other at secondary school viewings.
“It’s so funny. We went to look around this school the other day, and I was already sitting there waiting for the headmistress to talk, then Nadine came in going: ‘Kimberley!’ So we did a whole school viewing together. It was special for her to get to know my kids properly. They loved her.”
‘Parts of the tour were gut-wrenching for us’
While there were lots of laughs on tour, there were also a lot of tears, as the motivation for going back on the road was to have a celebration of Sarah.
“It was so emotional for us,” Kimberley admits. “I’m not going to lie, during rehearsals when it was just us, the dancers and the people close to us, we had to let it all out. It was tough, but it made us stronger by the time we came to the actual shows.
“She wanted us to do it. She made it clear when she was here, but equally we felt it isn’t Girls Aloud without her.
“She’s such a massive part of it, so we wanted to keep her part of it. We’re trying to keep her spirit alive. That’s the hardest thing obviously – that everyone else goes back to normal and forgets.
“There wasn’t just one moment of her, we made the whole show have a thread of her throughout.
“And at times we were like: ‘Is this actually too sad?’ Because for us it felt just gut-wrenching. But then, equally, she deserved that time and for people to remember her.
“So, having her vocals play out in I’ll Stand By You in arenas again was crazy emotional, but she would have loved it. We know that. So it was hard to do it, night after night, but also epic.”
‘To be honest, after 32 shows, I felt my age a bit – it took its toll’
Sarah’s voice continues to sing, as the band marked what would have been her 43rd birthday last month with a release of I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version).
The new take on the track, with Sarah on lead vocals, was launched in support of BBC Children In Need, 20 years after the group had first released their chart-topping cover of The Pretender’s ballad.
“She would have loved that,” Kimberley says.
“We all knew her so well. We’ve just got one of her Brit dresses put in the Hard Rock Cafe on London’s Park Lane, as that was another thing she wanted.
“There’s been loads of things she would have loved to have done that she wasn’t able to achieve, so anything she mentioned we’ve tried to honour that.
“The Primrose Ball charity gala [held in 2022 to raise money for breast cancer charities] was a massive one. She was part of the planning for that.
“It’s been cathartic for all of us to have that time and to almost grieve with the fans. They’ve grown up with us. And there’s no denying that her energy was really missed on stage.
“But I think everybody could feel that she was still very much intertwined within the show and the band.”
But without Sarah, is there any future for Girls Aloud going forward, with more shows or music?
“We would never have thought we’d have done the tour,” Kimberley says.
“No chance. It was almost like a bonus for me that I didn’t know I needed. It was so special. So, basically, anything is possible. I think that’s the way to live, isn’t it?”
There was a real liberation to be part of that group that I know so well and doing a job we all love. All we worried about was doing Sarah justice and honouring her
Kimberley Walsh
Girls Aloud first got together in 2002, and while being back with the band made her feel like she was in her 20s again, Kimberley admits her body didn’t always agree.
“To be honest, after 32 shows, I felt my age a bit,” she laughs.
“I didn’t put the gruelling parts on Instagram, because no one wants to see me limping around with a bad hip. The reality was that it took its toll.
“But when I was up there, it clicked back into place. It was like the most natural thing that we’ve ever done. We didn’t really get nervous ever, just excited.
“Previously, the tours were in the midst of the album cycle, so there was an added pressure. You were wondering about ‘the next hit’.
“Whereas, this time I know the songs inside out. There was a real liberation to be part of that group that I know so well and doing a job we all love. All we worried about was doing Sarah justice and honouring her.”
Another motivation for the tour was letting her three sons see that she’s not just Mum, but a proper pop star.
“It was amazing seeing it through their eyes,” Kimberley says.
“They really had no idea what it was all about, then saw it was a big deal. I think it blew their minds when they were looking around seeing everyone going berserk and looking at me.
“My eldest, Bobby, loved it. He brought his whole class to the O2 show. The green room was full of his schoolfriends. Everyone was asking who they all were and I’m saying: ‘Yes, they are all with me.’
“Cole’s a bit more freaked out by it. He loved watching the show as he’s very musical. He knew every word.
“But he doesn’t love that it’s me that everybody’s into. I think [the tight outfits] are the bits that Cole can’t really handle. He’s like: ‘What are you doing?’
‘My eldest Bobby loved it – he brought his class to the O2 show’
“But we were never overtly sexy, which I’m glad of now. There’s nothing for them to watch and go: ‘What?!’ We were more cheeky than risqué. He just wants me to be his mum and nothing else, which is fine.
“With Nate, I thought he would lose the plot as he couldn’t get near me, but even he got into it. He turned three on tour with us and got a cake on stage, which is very special.
“Never in a million years would I have thought that my three children would watch me on stage and sing all of the old songs. I definitely got some mum credit.”
And it looks like she could inspire one of her sons to follow in her and dad Justin’s musical footsteps.
“Bobby has such a nice voice, but he’s quite shy. He won’t do it in front of anyone, which kills me.
“He says: ‘I know I can sing, but I want to do it for myself.’ He’s got the music genes and I suppose both of us were in the business, so it’s not surprising. But Bobby doesn’t want to share it with anyone.”
Like many others, Kimberley watched the BBC documentary Boybands Forever with groups such as East 17, Take That and 5ive sharing their stories of the highs and lows of fame.
She says: “I’ve heard a rumour there will be a girl band one. I think the call is on its way, for sure. It’d be nice if a lot of people wanted to speak on it. Although the boy band one was sad when you see how unhappy they were for such a long time.
‘Sarah and I always shared birthdays, so now it’s always bittersweet’
“After watching it, it made me think that it’s not easy and maybe it’s a good thing Bobby isn’t interested in performing. I don’t think I’d feel that comfortable about my kid doing that in this day and age, especially with the social media element. It’s just a lot.”
Days after our shoot, Kimberley celebrated her 43rd birthday – three days after Sarah’s, something she reflects on every year now.
“My birthday wish is I’d just be grateful to carry on where I am right now, to be honest. I’ve got young kids so I just love being around for them.
“The tour was quite full-on, so these last few months I’ve been at home a lot and appreciating the simple things, like doing 50 loads of washing! In a weird way, I kind of love it.
“With birthdays, I don’t really make a big fuss, but I’m not one of those people that feels down on it.
“Sarah and I always shared birthdays and we were the same age so now, it’s always bittersweet. I’m fully aware of how lucky I am to just be here. I’ve got a beautiful family and I can’t complain.
“I just take a minute and be grateful I’ve got another one to celebrate. So let’s see what the next year brings.”
- Kimberley is an ambassador for Wickes. For more information, visit Wickes.co.uk.