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Girls Aloud on public bullying, getting older and reuniting after the loss of Sarah Harding: ‘I keep expecting her to burst into the room’

When their bandmate was diagnosed with terminal cancer, it was her dying wish that the tour would go on. Now, the biggest-selling British girl group of the 21st century are making good on their promise

They should be embarrassed of themselves Cheryl The lack of stage school sheen gave them a raw edge; catnip not only to pop fans looking for more grit in the slipstream of the sugary-sweet Steps and S Club 7, but also to the tabloids and celebrity magazines. There was public bullying too, mostly aimed at Roberts – the youngest of the band, just 17 when they started – who was called a “rude ginger bitch” by Busted’s Matt Willis and derided in similar terms by Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles. Clips from Greasemania, as well as an odd early appearance on Blue Peter where the girls were dressed as frumpy nurses throughout history (complete with bonnets), have recently been rediscovered and celebrated by the various irony-slathered, nostalgia-fuelled Hun Instagram and TikTok accounts.

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