Girls Aloud have said they will reunite for a UK and Ireland tour next year to ‘celebrate’ bandmate Sarah Harding.
The band, made up of Cheryl, Nicola, Kimberley and Nadine, made the announcement on their 21st anniversary after weeks of speculation.
The performances will be dedicated to Harding two years after her death from breast cancer.
However, the band were quick to dispel rumours they will be releasing new music for the tour.
Instead, it will be a “celebration of Girls Aloud’s rich back catalogue” including songs like The Promise, Love Machine and Biology.
Speaking about the upcoming tour, Cheryl said: “We all started talking about the possibility of doing something to celebrate Girls Aloud’s 20-year anniversary a few years ago.
“The anniversary seemed like an obvious thing that we would celebrate. But when Sarah fell ill all priorities changed. She passed away a year before the anniversary and it just didn’t feel right, it felt too soon.
“It’s the right time to celebrate Sarah, it’s the right time to celebrate the band and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this 21 years later. That’s a big honour in lots of ways.”
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, each individual member is seen in a car travelling through grid-locked traffic while a medley of some of the band’s most popular songs plays over the top.
The girls then meet under a drive-in cinema screen playing clips of their old tours.
“We can’t wait to sing & dance with you again,” a statement alongside the video read.
The tour is set to take place in May to June next year, starting in Dublin and stopping in Manchester, London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Liverpool.
Fans immediately reacted to the video announcement with one X user writing: “Oh My God, this is the best news ever I’m so happy,” and another adding: “Best news ever!!!!! I still can’t believe it”.
The girl band first found fame in the early 2000s after being created through the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals.
Read more entertainment news:
Actress fired from Scream 7 over Israel-Gaza posts
The world of the Squid Game reality TV show
King hands honorary MBEs to K-popstars
Claiming the title of most successful girl group of the noughties, the band have sold in excess of five million albums in the UK and still hold the Guinness World Record for their 20 consecutive UK Top 10 singles.
The song Sound Of The Underground topped the 2002 Christmas chart, and the band nabbed the Brit Award for Best Single for The Promise.
The group then went on a hiatus between 2009 and 2012 before finally splitting the following year.
Girls Aloud performing in 2012
In 2012, they briefly came back together for a 10-year anniversary tour, with their last show taking place in March 2013.
Last year the girls again reunited for a charity gala event for The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Cancer Research UK as part of The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal.
The band have raised more than £1m for breast cancer charities in the past year.
Tickets for the 2024 tour will go on pre-sale on 29 November at 9am, with the general sale taking place at 1 December at 9am.
