Girls Aloud have hit out at reports they are planning to reunite as a four-piece without Nadine Coyle.
The girl group’s record label denied rumours Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh and Sarah Harding were planning to ‘oust’ the Northern Irish singer.
Their current hiatus was only meant to last a year – but 13 months on it looks like the girl group aren’t any close to reuniting.
Coyle, 25, has been steadily growing apart from her bandmates since moving to California with her family in 2006.
The London-based bandmates are said to have strained relations with Coyle for some time, with Walsh even blaming her for holding up the Girls Aloud reunion.
A source told The Sun: ‘Relations with her had been strained within the camp for a while. Disputes began cropping up towards the final days of the band before they went on a hiatus.
‘The four remaining girls want to return on their own terms – and avoiding any squabbles is a high priority. That’s why they have decided to go on without Nadine.’
However, the group’s spokesperson denied the reports today, saying they had signed a record deal and would be releasing their sixth studio album as a six piece. No release date has yet been given.
But with Coyle working on her debut solo album and Cole preparing to release a second solo disc, as well as her X Factor judging duties, a Girls Aloud reunion doesn’t look likely any time soon.
Since their hiatus, Walsh has been TV presenting, Roberts has launched a make-up range, while Harding has been working on her acting career, with a role in the St Trinian’s sequel and BBC drama Freefall.
In an interview in the Spring, Roberts admitted she hadn’t spoken to Coyle since last September.
The redhead told Hello!: ‘If I’m really honest, we haven’t spoken to Nadine since we did the Coldplay gig at Wembley in September. I talked to the other girls about it on Monday and no, none of us have heard from her.
A few months earlier, her bandmate Kimberley Walsh said the group was waiting for Coyle to return from LA so they could discuss the group’s future.
She said: ‘The plan is … well, basically Nadine needs to come over from LA. We need to chat and book it in because there are five people’s diaries to work around, rather than just one.’
In response, Coyle wrote on her Twitter page: ‘Laughing at people suggesting I’m holding up GA. Really?? Let’s be realistic. Open your eyes. It’s made out like I have all the power.’
Last month, Coyle admitted she was in no rush to reunite the group, revealing she was enjoying her time out on her solo project
She said: ‘We’re all still young so we don’t have that racing against the clock, and I wanted to do a solo record and everyone wants to do their own thing – Sarah with the acting, or whatever they’re doing.
‘But when we’re all back together, we’ll see then. Everything’s good, you know, we’re taking a break and everyone’s doing their own thing.’
The group were formed in November 2002 after being chosen by judges Geri Halliwell, Pete Waterman and Louis Walsh on the ITV talent show from thousands of wannabe pop stars.
Their debut single Sound Of The Underground went straight to number one, with their debut album of the same name selling over 300,000 copies.
The five-piece have enjoyed three number one singles and a further 16 top 10 hits over their seven years in the charts.
Their last single release, Untouchable, was their lowest-charting single, reaching no.11 in UK charts in April last year.
Their six albums have sold over 1.8million copies in the UK, their most successful being their greatest hits disc The Sound Of Girls Aloud, which has been certified 3x platinum.
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