Strictly Come Dancing fans were left ecstatic as Nicola Roberts’ Girls Aloud bandmates appeared in the studio audience to cheer her on in this year’s special on Christmas Day.
The hit BBC One show returned for a festive edition of the hit ballroom dance competition with the judges and a studio audience to vote as the stars competed to lift the glistening Strictly Silver Star trophy.
This year on the pre-recorded Christmas special, six brand new celebrities took to the Strictly floor to celebrate Christmas.
The star-studded line-up included Alexandra Mardell and Kai Widdrington,actor Larry Lamb and Nadiya Bychkova, podcaster Rosie Ramsey partnered with Neil Jones, actor George Webster dancing with Amy Dowden, DJ Ricky Haywood-Williams paired with Luba Mushtuk as well as Nicola alongside Giovanni Pernice.
Ahead of Nicola and Giovanni’s beautiful performance to Silent Night, host Tess Daly sat down with Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle and Kimberley Walsh to chat about her preparation for the special.
Strictly fans were over the moon as they cheered on the star, with many hoping the reunion could promise a Girls Aloud reunion in the coming year.
Taking to Twitter, one wrote: “What a delight seeing Girls Aloud together,” as a second said: “2023 gonna be the year of Girls Aloud I feel, they look so gorge and happy!”
A third joked: “If Girls Aloud are in the building, why are they making us watch Bruno perform?”
Another said: “ALL OF GIRLS ALOUD ARE THERE TO SUPPORT NICOLA,” as one insisted: “Girls Aloud reunion now please.”
Nadine has previously suggested Girls Aloud could reunite as a four-piece, following the tragic death of bandmate Sarah Harding to cancer.
The group produced five studio albums during their time together, including hits Sound Of The Underground and The Promise.
Nicola said ahead of the Christmas special that being in Girls Aloud has made her slow to learn her Strictly dance.
Nicola said of learning dances: “My process is quite slow. When you’re in a band you have weeks to perfect a two-hour show.
“There’ll be some certain numbers that you pick up quickly or the numbers that might take a good couple of weeks to really sink in, and that’s my process.
“That’s how I’ve learned over the years. Obviously, Strictly, you don’t have the luxury of having time.
“It wasn’t until after the fourth session that I felt like we were in a good space. Before that I was kind of like beating myself up and not understanding the routine, not grasping the technical aspects.
“The position is still not there every time and it’s a lot to think about so it’s been very fast but I like to be professional and I like to do a good job, and I’ve had a great time!”
