Girls Aloud may have gone on hiatus in 2013, but there was no slowing down for Kimberley Walsh. Not only has the 42 year old kept up with performing by appearing in West End musicals, she’s also been a regular on our TV screens, both acting (in Ackley Bridge and The Lodge) and presenting (on Morning Live). We could keep going… the woman hasn’t stopped! Plus, she also found time to parent sons Bobby, nine, Cole, seven, and Nate, two, with her husband of eight years, Justin Scott.
Now, as Kimberley and bandmates Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle gear up to take to the stage once more with The Girls Aloud Show – a celebration of their music, and a tribute to their bandmate Sarah Harding, who died in 2021 – we catch up with her to see how she’s managing her busy schedule...
How do you juggle all the different facets of your life?
It’s tricky! I have to be realistic and quite strategic. I’m currently in tour mode, which is from now until the beginning of July – it’s officially “Girls Aloud time”. But because three of us are mums during this tour period, we’re able to cater things around the kids a little bit. At the moment, I’m able to do the school drop-off and pick them up every day.
Do all the Girls Aloud kids get on well?
They’re so close. And I think we’re all going to bring them for at least a week or two at some point, so they can hang out. They probably won’t even want to watch the show – they’ll just be on the bus playing on the computer – but they’re still getting the experience of being on tour, and that’s really important for me. They know the mum that does DIY, but they have no idea about my other side because it was before they were born.
Talking of DIY, you’ve launched a new paint colour, Subtle Sage, which is described as “reminiscent of nature’s greenery” – are you into gardening?
Justin is way more green-fingered than I am. But I feel like both colours I’ve launched with Wickes – Blue Haze in 2023, and now this one – have got an earthiness, and it’s made me buy loads more real plants for the house. Previously, I’d avoided that because I’m not very good at keeping them alive!
So, you’ve got three mums going on tour. How has the tour rider changed?
I feel like we were never that rock and roll. Realistically, it was just Yorkshire teabags, manuka honey, lemon, throat sweets – all the practical stuff. Maybe a bottle of Champagne. This time around, we’re going to have our own dressing rooms as a space for our families. That was advice we got from the JLS boys, who recently went on tour with their families.
How do you think you’ve changed since becoming a mum?
It’s given me a completely different perspective on many things in life. For one, it’s really helped me with performing. It’s made me less nervous and I now realise that performing is a privilege and a treat – I just want to go out there and enjoy it.
Girls Aloud is all about the fun. Is that what you’re bringing back with the tour?
That was the reason we wanted to do this. It’s a tough thing to do with respect to Sarah. We wanted to do something to celebrate her, and it was something she really wanted us to do, but it wasn’t an easy decision. It just happened that we all felt in a place where the tour could be a celebration and we could have fun. There’s no pressure this time around. We just want anyone who comes to have the best night – have a little moment of nostalgia and take that joy home.
