Cheryl joins Girls Aloud bandmates as group jet off to Dublin to start tour

Cheryl and the rest of Girls Aloud were beside themselves with excitement as they boarded a plane to Dublin on Thursday night, ready to kick off their highly anticipated The Show tour.

It's been over 21 years now since Cheryl, Nadine, Kimberley, Nicola and late bandmate Sarah earned a place in what would end up being one of the UK's biggest female acts of all time, when they made it into the final five on ITV's Popstars: The Rivals. Just weeks after Girls Aloud were formed they went head to head with the show's boyband, One True Voice in a battle for the 2002 Christmas number 1, with Girls Aloud the clear winners, as their debut single Sound of the Undergrounds stayed at the top of the charts for a month.

That lit the touch paper on a glittering career in pop, with Girls Aloud notching up a record breaking number of consecutive top 10 hits in the UK, as I'll Stand By You, Walk This Way and The Promise also made number 1 and the likes of Love Machine, Call The Shots and Biology became huge fan favourites.

READ MORE: Girls Aloud setlist 'rumbled' by fans ahead of opening night in Dublin

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Sarah sadly passed away in September 2021, following a battle with cancer and, announcing the reunion tour last year, Girls Aloud assured fans that the concerts would be a tribute to her.

The tour kicks off in Dublin on Friday, May 17 and, after she and her bandmates had been teasing fans with photos from rehearsals on their social media accounts, Cheryl then posted a shot of her, Nadine, Kimberley and Nicola on their flight to Ireland on Thursday night, which she captioned: "Ready for take off."

One fan quickly replied: "Tmrw is what we have all been waiting for.... The return of Girls Aloud!!!!!" with another reacting: "so exciting!! have the best time, can’t wait to see you soon "