Cheryl 'needs a break' from Girls Aloud tour as she 'misses Bear'

When pop icons Girls Aloud announced their comeback after 11 years away, fans couldn't wait to watch the group kick off their first tour in more than a decade.

But now, as they take the UK and Ireland by storm with their hugely anticipated tour, which visits 12 cities across 30 days, Cheryl is reportedly feeling like she 'needs a break'.

The 40 year old star is mum to son Bear, six, and - as much as she's impressing concert goers with her incredible vocals and dance moves - Cheryl is finding it hard being away from him.

"Cheryl is loving the tour so far and has been enjoying being back on stage with the other girls and seeing fans," a source said. "It’s gone better than they expected and she gets such a buzz every night.

"However it is hard emotionally as this is the longest she’s been away from Bear and misses not putting him to bed every night. She can’t help but feel guilty and is very excited for him to join her for a couple of weeks."

Thankfully, the singer - who shares Bear with ex partner Liam Payne, 30 - has support on hand to help her while she tours with bandmates Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts as her mum is on hand to help.

Girls Aloud revealed their exciting news of their comeback on Instagram in November 2023, and said, “We’re so excited to announce that we will be touring the UK & Ireland in May and June 2024. “A celebration of Sarah, our music and our incredible fans. We can’t wait to sing and dance with you all once again – Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine & Nicola.”

Their return, of course, is inevitably tinged with sadness as it is the first time the quartet is touring without bandmate, Sarah Harding. Sarah sadly passed away back in September 2021 at the age of just 39, after she revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in August 2020.

But ahead of taking the stage, the band - who shot to fame on ITV's Popstars: The Rivals in November 2002 - explained that they are determined to give Sarah her time to shine on the tour.

“I think we channelled our grief into all the fundraising we did for The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal and that helped us a lot. And as tough as it will be, we want to give Sarah her moment on this tour. We need it. The fans need it. She needs it,” Kimberley told British Vogue last November.

It was also been claimed they wouldn’t be recording any new music because that would mean that Sarah wouldn’t be included. “This is about celebrating the 20 years we’ve all had. So the tour has got to be inclusive of Sarah because she’s such a massive part of our make-up," Cheryl explained.

“It will never feel like the old Girls Aloud again but we’ve reached a point where we feel ready to celebrate all of it. Sarah included.”

But as they fulfil their promise of including Sarah - who, in clips shared by fans at the concert, can be seen singing on screen in old footage - the girls couldn't help but appear emotional on stage. In one video, Cheryl in particular could be seen tearing up as she asked Nadine to sing her part.

Now, according to a source, Cheryl is finding the tour more difficult than she anticipated. They said: "It’s also been emotionally hard because Sarah isn’t there and paying tribute to her in the show brings everything back and she misses her so much.

"It’s also been hard working with all the girls again and there have been clashes about certain things. They are four strong women with big opinions and everyone wants a say."

Since they announced their separation after their 2013 hiatus, there's been plenty of speculation about the relationship between bandmates. At the time, Nadine didn't hold back on social media, making it clear that she wasn't the one who decided to end things.

She posted: "You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn't stop them. I had the best time and want to keep going."

However, Cheryl was quick to refute Nadine's claims, branding her version of events as "porkie pies" and blaming Nadine for wanting a break in 2009, which she believes led to the band's downfall.

She retorted: "She was the one who wanted to make a solo record. Which is why we took the hiatus. She wants to come out and say we broke the band up? No! She shouldn't tell porkie pies."

Now, as they spend more time together than they have in 11 years, the Fight For This Love singer is allegedly missing her slower pace of life at home, with her little boy.

"Cheryl is so used to just worrying about her and Bear and making them happy that it is quite a shock having to worry about other people," the source claimed.

"She’s making the most of this tour but is already dreaming about a break as it’s exhausting physically and mentally and she just wants to take the summer off with Bear and spend quality time with him. Then she will think about her next move once he’s back at school."

Despite alleged past disagreements, the group has now collectively stated that Sarah's battle with breast cancer was the catalyst for their much-anticipated reunion.

Kimberley said: "It's made us be in contact more regularly than we would normally. As much as this is a tough time for us, it's nice that it's given us the drive to spend time together."