Louis Walsh: Girls Aloud were a nightmare
Friday December 04 2009
Louis Walsh has described his time managing Girls Aloud as a "nightmare".
The pop svengali and X Factor judge, who also looks after Westlife and Boyzone and steered JLS to second place on last year’s show, said he doesn’t work well with girls.
And he revealed that he never got on with Cheryl Cole when he was involved with the chart-topping five-piece.
Walsh managed Girls Aloud for four years following their formation in 2002 on Popstars: The Rivals through to 2006, when they went their separate ways.
On this year’s X Factor he looked after the groups’ catgeory, choosing two girl bands — Kandy Rain and Miss Frank — to go through to the live finals along with the ‘Terrible Twins’ John and Edward Grimes. But the girl groups went out in the very early stages.
Walsh has admitted boy bands were easier to work with than girls.
“Girls are high maintenance, it’s easier to manage boy bands — less hairspray, less make-up, less baggage,” he said.
On the subject of Girls Aloud, featuring Northern Ireland’s own Nadine Coyle, he said they were a “nightmare” to manage, adding: “But they probably found me difficult. I was living in Dublin and didn’t give 100%.
“They were just thrown together — five girls!”
The 57-year-old said that despite the on-screen jibes with Simon Cowell, he got on well with him. And he praised Danni Minogue, whom he famously made cry last year when he accused her of stealing a song.
“She has upped her game,” he said. “She’s looking better and she works hard, nobody gives her enough credit. She’s as good as Kylie, she just doesn’t have the machine behind her.”
He also said that while he didn’t get on with Cheryl Cole when he was managing Girls Aloud, he now popped into her dressing room for cups of tea.
- Maureen Coleman
