Kimberley Walsh has revealed the Girls Aloud reunion plans are on hold following the death of bandmate Sarah Harding.
Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, Cheryl, Kimberley and Sarah were hoping to reunite next year to mark the band’s 20th anniversary.
But sadly, Sarah died last month at the age of 39 after being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.
Speaking to The Sun about the reunion, Kimberley said: “It’s not really something we’re even thinking about obviously, with the situation as it is. No one is even in that headspace right now.”
The publication previously reported that the singers are planning to reunite for a charity concert in Sarah’s honour.
A source told the newspaper: “It’s bittersweet, of course. They’ve all been through the most devastating news and it’s beyond tragic. But when the time is right they’d love to see a concert in Sarah’s memory.”
“It would be hugely emotional for everyone involved, but it feels like a wonderful thing to do after everyone had hoped they might be able to do it together.”
“They loved her energy and her zest for everything, so it would have to be done in that spirit. And if it could raise some money for charity too, then even better,” the insider added.
Girls Aloud were formed on the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, and they were named the biggest selling girl group of the 21st century.
In 2009, the band announced they were going on a year-long hiatus, but it wasn’t until 2012 that they got back together to celebrate their 10-year anniversary.
They officially split in 2013, leaving fans across the world devastated.
But after Sarah was diagnosed with cancer last year, her former bandmates rallied around her to support her as her health declined.
In her biography ‘Hear Me Out’, which was released earlier this year, Sarah revealed she reunited with the girls at Soho Farmhouse last year.
She wrote: “I did have my reservations and fears about the reunion get-together, though. It was going to be the first time we’d all seen one another in about eight years.”
“On the day, I arrived at Soho Farmhouse just as Nicola, Nadine and Kimberley pulled up, so actually, the reunion moment was mainly in the car park.”
“We all stayed in the same big house, and we had the most amazing Japanese dinner delivered in from Pen Yen, which is one of the beautiful restaurants within the farm.”
After reminiscing about their days in Girls Aloud, the bandmates decided to watch old episodes of their E4 docu-series Off the Record.
Sarah wrote: “We were all so different then; there was a sort of sweet naivety about us. I remember Cheryl in particular almost watching her old self through fingers over her eyes, mortified at some of her comments and antics.”
“There was a difference in how the girls were then to the sophisticated women they’d since become.”
The 39-year-old added: “Watching Off the Record provoked lots of laughing and even more cringing, but I have to say, I looked on fondly.”
