AS one fifth of Girls Aloud, Kimberley Walsh spent years feeling the pressure to be the picture- perfect pop star.
But almost a decade after the band split, she has finally broken from the pin-up ideals and said she thinks about her body in a “completely different way”, after having three boys with her husband Justin Scott.
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In an exclusive chat with Bizarre, the singer even admitted she now barely even thinks about how she looks at all.
Asked if she feels sexier than ever after becoming a mum, Kimberley said: “Do you know what, you just look at your body in a completely different way after you have had three kids, and have seen the enormity of what it goes through and what you were able to create.
“I just don’t really put that much pressure on myself or that much emphasis on how I look.
“I am very much focused on how I feel and, health wise, just making sure that I feel good in that respect.
“It is definitely less about how I actually look these days.”
The Sound Of The Underground singer shot to fame alongside her Girls Aloud bandmates Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and the late Sarah Harding on TV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002.
But she insisted she always tried to ward off any pushing for her to look a certain way.
Kimberley said: “It is only really what pressure you allow yourself to take on and I think I had quite a good mentality — in that I didn’t really take it on board that much.
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“I would never put that level of pressure on myself, where I felt like I had to try and reach unachievable and unrealistic goals for my body type and shape.
“So, within reason, it wasn’t to an unhealthy level I don’t think.
“I do a lot of running around with the boys, which helps to keep me fit.
“But if I were to do something, I would prefer doing more weighted squats, a bit slower and more toning because I get cardio from just being with the boys.”
Despite her love of exercising with kids Bobby, Cole and Nate, she won’t be welcoming any more.
Kimberley, who was launching the Wickes Community Programme competition, offering groups the chance to win £10,000, added: “I think whenever you have three children of the same sex, people just assume you are going to keep going until you get a ‘variety’.
“For me, I always knew that this was going to be my last.
“I am happy with my little hat-trick.
“They are amazing boys. I could not wish for anything more, honestly.
“They are such little characters and so loving, and yeah, such lovely little souls — so I am happy.”
‘Quite helpless’
Meanwhile, Kimberley said she was “gutted” at not being able to be with Cheryl, Nadine and Nicola in London’s Hyde Park to run the Race For Life on July 24 in honour of Sarah.
Her bandmate died last September aged 39 from breast cancer.
Kimberley, who will be away to celebrate her mum’s 70th birthday but will run it remotely on a treadmill, said: “The fans feel the same as we do — really quite helpless — so to be able to come together and be part of something I think is going to be a really nice focus for us all.
“The main thing is that we all run at the same time on the day and it is a way of feeling closer to her for a time.”
Kimberley has joined forces with home improvement retailer Wickes to launch the Wickes Community Programme Competition, offering a community organisation the chance to win £10,000.
Enter here for a chance to win for your community, the competition closes July 13th.
Sophie’s disco dishes
Sophie Ellis-Bextor is following in the footsteps of musicians including Dolly Parton and Coolio by releasing a cookbook.
The Murder On The Dancefloor singer will be releasing the collection, called Love.Food.Family: Recipes From The Kitchen Disco, on July 7.
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Sophie is holding a bash at the Clapham Grand venue in South London two days before the release so she can t celebrate with her fans.
The book features some of Sophie’s favourite home recipes, which she says “proves that everything tastes better with a little bit of disco”.
Hopefully that includes a kebab for the end of the night.
Emily: I lived in fear of festival
LOCALS once hated the Glastonbury Festival so much that the family behind it were shot at and had their car set on fire.
Organiser Emily Eavis, who is the daughter of founder Michael, revealed that as a child she was “terrified” of the event at Worthy Farm in Somerset, as it was far wilder back then.
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Emily said: “When I was a kid, every year was a massive shift.
“Festivals in the Eighties were entirely different.
“The festival was growing radically and every year had a different narrative with the travellers and music.
“But I spent a lot of my childhood feeling terrified of it because it was pretty wild and very divisive and very, very tribal.
“In the area that we live in there was so much animosity about it – and loathing. It was really full-on feelings to grow up around. So I was terrified.
“We had ball bearings shot through our window by locals and our car was burnt.
“I lived with a lot of fear of the festival. I was like, ‘Can we just have a normal life?’.”
But it has evolved since then, made millions for charity and won over the locals, particularly as many of them get free tickets.
And although it is the most popular festival in the UK with more than 200,000 people attending and Paul McCartney among the headliners this year, organisers have refused offers to expand it further and take it international.
Asked about that on Annie Mac’s Changes podcast, Emily added: “We’ve had so many offers over the years that I get used to saying APN – a polite no. ‘Thanks so much, but no thanks’. The whole buy- out, rolling it out thing – no.”
Charli dress ain’t half odd
WITH rain forecast for Somerset this weekend, I imagine Charli XCX will want to opt for a festival outfit more like the left side of this dress than the right.
She wore the quirky long silver number, complete with fur-trimmed handbag, for the JW Anderson show at Milan’s Men’s Fashion Week.
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Charli was there after enjoying a well-earned holiday on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
She jetted off for the break after completing the European leg of her Crash tour, but will be back on stage later this week.
The Beg For You singer is headlining the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury on Sunday night, going up against Kendrick Lamar and Pet Shop Boys, who will be among the other acts performing on alternative stages at the same time.
And it won’t be long until there’s more to hear from her, as she featured on Tiesto new single Hot In It, which is out on Thursday next week.
That will give fans plenty of time to learn the words before she’s back on stage in the UK.
Billie’s pyramid honour
BILLIE EILISH will become the festival’s youngest headliner – but is still struggling to get her head around it.
The Bad Guy singer who will take to the famous Pyramid Stage on Friday night, explained: “It’s a serious, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be asked to go to and do it.
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“And I’m constantly feeling like I’m undeserving of everything – I think that’s a good thing.
“But first of all, it makes you doubt everybody because you’re like, ‘Why would you choose me?’
“With that being said, it’s why I’m even more excited about it and stoked to be the youngest headliner ever. And I’m a woman, and that’s really cool.
“Unfortunately, there are not a lot of female headliners constantly, so I feel really honored and really excited.”
It won’t be an expensive night for Billie, though, because she saves a fortune by not forking out for people to do her hair and make-up, unlike other big names.
Revealing her pre-show ritual for Matt Wilkinson’s Glastonbury Special on Apple Music, she said: “I work out for a while and then I ‘do my own’.
“So I do my own make-up and then I do my own hair and I have to do it a very specific way.
“Then I have to find an outfit and then I have to make sure the outfit fits right.
“And then I have to put all of my fricking jewellery on, which takes me three hours or whatever.”
Weird and wonderful
GLASTO is no stranger to the weird and wonderful – in fact, it positively thrives off it.
But the addition of the world’s first wifi rooster to Worthy Farm may be the kookiest idea yet.
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The boffins at EE have created the rooster to squawk out reminders 30 minutes before some of the festival’s biggest acts take to the main performance area.
On top of that, the bird is guarding a golden egg, which music fans can snap and post on social media for a chance to win side-of-stage passes at the Pyramid Stage.
Now, that would be a clucking great way to round off the weekend.
Bey breaks the news
BEYONCE has today released the track Break My Soul, lead single from her seventh album.
The superstar gave a cryptic announcement about the song, by changing her bio on Instagram and Twitter to say: “6. Break My Soul midnight ET.”
That indicated it would be out at midnight in New York and 5am here in the UK.
It has been created with singer- songwriter and producer The-Dream, who previously worked with Beyonce on her hit tunes Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) and Partition.
The song is the first to come from her upcoming record Renaissance, which she announced last week.
It is Beyonce’s first solo studio album since Lemonade, which topped the charts in 2016.
Here’s hoping it has all been worth the wait.
Drake calls it early
DRAKE hasn’t quite got things all tied up after the surprise release of his new album Honestly, Nevermind.
The Canadian rapper was pictured on the phone in Miami at the weekend, where he celebrated the success of the record – although it isn’t a nailed on chart-topper for him.
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According to the Official Charts Company, Foals are on track to go to No1 this Friday with their seventh album Life Is Yours.
Drake is trailing by 6,000 sales and is at No2.
He is ahead of A Light For Attracting Attention, the debut from The Smile, comprising of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet Tom Skinner, at No3.
