Feuds, fallouts, sniping and snubs. For a band who haven’t released any new material in nearly two years, Girls Aloud are still making one hell of a din.

And somehow it’s Nadine Coyle who finds herself cast as the villain of the piece. Her relocation to LA three years ago has, according to some, rendered a group reunion impossible.

Earlier this year there were claims from the Girls Aloud camp that the only person holding up a reunion was Nadine.

But behind the headlines, there’s another side to the story. In an astonishingly frank interview, Nadine tells us she’s genuinely baffled at the blame dumped at her door – especially as she claims she’s made repeated attempts to get in touch with the others which have gone ignored.

Until now, only her closest friends and family have seen the distress she’s tried to hide.

“It’s upsetting because people think it’s my fault,” she says. “When I was first told that’s what everyone was thinking, I couldn’t understand it – why blame me? How has it swung in that direction? I really don’t know. I thought everything in the garden was rosy.

“Two years ago, we all agreed to take a break to give people time to do their own things, and this has all just blown up. It really hurts when I hear things like I’m holding the girls back. It’s just absurd. People can make up their own minds but honestly, it’s not true.”

She’s expressive as she talks, and her voice goes up an octave, indicating her confusion. It’s not quite clear why, but the tight-knit friendship the five girls formed after being thrown together eight years ago on Popstars The Rivals seems to no longer exist as far as Ms Coyle is concerned.

There is speculation that Nadine has been frozen out by Kimberley Walsh, 28, Sarah Harding, 28, Cheryl Cole, 27, and 25-year-old Nicola Roberts. There were even whispers – later denied – that she was set to be ousted, with the other four happy to go on without her.

Whatever the reality, the future of the record-breaking girl band looks uncertain at the very least.

“Maybe next year?” says Nadine, when asked when the five of them might think about reuniting. But she doesn’t sound anything close to convinced.

The last of the gang to branch out on her own, Nadine, 25, is preparing to launch her career as a solo artist. With her recent engagement to hunky American footballer Jason Bell, 32, it marks a new chapter in her life, but there are four people who aren’t sharing in her excitement.

Why? Because Nadine isn’t in close contact with any of her band mates. She says none of them has called to congratulate her on Jason’s proposal – indeed she struggles to recall the last time she spoke to the girls.

Relaxing in her dressing room at our studio in LA, Derry-born Nadine says: “I don’t speak to the girls, not regularly. But that doesn’t mean there’s a problem on my part – there are loads of people in my life I don’t speak to regularly. I can only speak for myself because I don’t know what’s going on in other people’s personal lives, but there’s no animosity. Not from me, anyway.”

Recently, Nadine told Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills that Cheryl hadn’t replied to the get-well text she sent while the X Factor judge was recovering from malaria earlier this year.

But in truth, the lines of communication broke down months before that. Nadine claims she tried to reach Cheryl this time last year when her band mate’s debut solo single, Fight For This Love, was released. But she says she never heard a peep back.

“I texted her when she had her single out, and I bought the album, but no, I haven’t heard from her in quite some time,” she says, her Northern Irish accent still broad despite the years in the States.

And why does she think that might be?

Nadine shrugs: “It’s probably because she’s busy and doing whatever.”

Perhaps even more telling is Nadine’s brutally straightforward answer when questioned about which band member she’s closest to.

“At the minute, none of them,” she says instantly. “We’ve known each other since we were 16 and everybody moves on. It’s like when you go on holiday with someone and say: ‘Let’s be friends forever!’ It doesn’t work out like that. It’s just one of those things.”

And surely, as time goes on, as relationships become more distant and solo careers begin to bear fruit, so the chances of a reunion slip away.

Nadine adds: “I’ve got my solo stuff, Cheryl’s got lots going on, Nicola’s got her make-up, Kimberley’s doing her presenting and Sarah, I dunno, she’s probably just taking time to relax.

“There are about 30 people involved with Girls Aloud and all of them have to come together and make it a priority.

“Me and the girls always work together really well. But don’t worry because, as far as friendships go, I’ve got loads and loads of friends. I’m really not struggling in that area.”

We don’t doubt it because Nadine is a bundle of utter loveliness. She’s charming, chatty and remains good-humoured throughout our six-hour photo shoot.

She also looks like a goddess – all dewy skin, perfect teeth and slender limbs. Yes, the much-debated figure is very, very slim (the size-6 outfits we’ve brought along for her all have to be pinned in), but not as scarily skinny as some photographs have suggested. She even – heaven forbid! – eats a slice of pizza between shots.

“My friend called me up and said: ‘Nadine! Oh my God! You look terrible. How come you got so skinny?’

“I told her I was the same size as I was the last time we met two days ago. She said: ‘Don’t look at the pictures, just don’t look!’

“Everyone knows that you can get a great picture or a terrible one. Photos can be deceptive and I’m proof of that.Having said that, I definitely don’t overeat. I eat healthy food like soups and salads because if you fill your body with rubbish you’ll get fat and you won’t be able to do anything. Why make life hard for yourself?”

She nods over in the direction of her father Niall, who has arrived to drive her home.

“You’ve seen my dad and what a beanpole he is!” she says. “That’s just how I’m built. None of my friends or family has ever been into dieting and definitely not starving yourself.

“My mammy’s always going on about starting a diet, but she usually says it as she’s eating a bar of Galaxy or tucking into a bag of sweets!”

The Coyle clan joined Nadine in LA shortly after she moved there. Mum Lillian and Niall now help run the thriving family pub Nadine’s Irish Mist on Sunset Beach. Younger sister Rachael, 23, works for Nadine, while older sister Charmaine, 33, is a full-time mum of four.

“If the family hadn’t come with me, I’d never have moved here permanently. Ireland is home but I also have homes in London and LA and a business here,” Nadine says.

And of course, Jason’s here too. Nadine’s not wearing her rock today – she’s frightened of taking it off and forgetting it – but there’s an unmistakable glow when talk turns to her boy.

“He always strives to make me happy,” she says. “He’s very open and protective. We were friends for a long time before we got together. He was one of my guy mates. And, looking back, I told him exactly what to do to win me over. I’d talk to him about what I looked for in a boyfriend!”

But Nadine’s not planning on getting hitched any time soon.

“Jason said: ‘We can do it tomorrow if you want.’ And I was like: ‘OK I appreciate that, but we won’t!’ We don’t even live together all the time. We’ve got our own places, which is great – there’s always the threat of going somewhere else!

“I’ve never been one of those wedding girls. A friend of mine who’s getting married was like that too, until she got engaged and now it’s wedding overdrive – she already knows exactly what her hair’s going to be like and the wedding’s not until 2012!

“I’ve got loads of weddings to go to over the next couple of years, so there’s not going to be much time to plan my own big day.”

Especially not at such a crucial stage of Nadine’s career.

Her first solo single, Insatiable, is released on November 1 and the album of the same name follows a week later.

Cheryl’s second album was originally due out on the same day, teeing up an epic chart battle, but Nadine, who has been writing with Robbie Williams’ former right-hand man Guy Chambers, says she’s relieved that now won’t be the case.

“After working together for so many years and having gone through all the stuff we’ve gone through, to have records coming out on the same day would have been ridiculous.

“To suddenly work against each other wouldn’t have been right and if it had been the case, I would have moved my release date because we don’t need that.”

Her ’80s-esque rock sound is in contrast to Cheryl’s pop.

“My album is so personal because I’ve been heavily involved in every aspect. I’m wrapped up in it so completely.

“I don’t do any choreographed dance routines like Cheryl. I’m much more about the music and being able to sing live. That was always really important to me. And I think I’m a lot more soulful than Girls Aloud ever was.”

She’s come a million miles since she first found fame in 2001, winning a place in girl band Six on the Irish version of Popstars. Nadine was forced to quit the group when it emerged that she was 16 – two years younger than the minimum age. Not that she ever lets such hurdles hold her back! She went on to audition for the UK’s Popstars The Rivals in 2002, winning a place in Girls Aloud.

Then, earlier this year, with no recording contract for her album, she instead set up her own company, Black Pen Records, financing the project through a deal with Tesco, who will sell the album exclusively in its stores.

“There were a few record companies I was torn between, but things didn’t work out. One of them wanted Girls Aloud mark II, so it was obvious we were never going to get on. I can’t do that on my own.

“The Tesco deal was the safer investment. But there’s a lot of work. I’m fielding 200 emails a day, dealing with mixes, mastering, producer contracts and stuff that needs to be done.

“I’ve been saying ‘yes’ to this and ‘no’ to that, then looking over my shoulder for someone to check with… But there’s no one there. It’s given me freedom and the chance to express myself in a way I’ve never been able to.

“I don’t feel any pressure to get to No1. If I even begin to do that then life will become really difficult. My team are business people and they see this as a long-term project rather than the instant gratification of a No1.”

Nadine’s found it strange getting used to life in the studio without the other girls in tow.

“It’s been very quiet,” she says. “When there’s the five of us it’s all RAAAAAAAAGH!! So getting used to the quiet has been strange. I have a great team I’m working with so there are familiar faces. Just not those four particular familiar faces.”

She flashes that megawatt smile. It’s the sort of smile that could get her off a murder charge. “But really,” she says, “what on earth have I got to complain about?”

Insatiable is out on November 1. The album of the same name follows on November 8.

So have you ever…

Checked the texts on a boyfriend’s phone?

Yes and it’s never a good idea. Even an innocent “hello” can be misinterpreted.

Kissed a girl?

Yes. Whenever Kimberley’s drunk too much wine she gets you with those big full lips of hers.

Turned up for work still drunk from the night before?

Yes. No! Yes! Way, way back in the beginning.

Used your fame to get something for free?

I’d like to say no but that’s probably not the truth.

Uttered the phrase: “Don’t you know who I am?”

No. Never.

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Here is the behind the scenes video of the Fabulous magazine photoshoot. Also linked you to the full magazine scans which are thanks to NicolaRobertsUK

Wearing the obligatory oversized shades, Nicola Roberts breezes into our shoot a super-starry hour and a half late.Muttering something about a delayed doctor’s appointment, she air-kisses her way round the Hollywood-esque entourage who have been waiting patiently for her arrival.

In the past, she was always very much the fifth member of Girls Aloud – the baby of the group, the reluctant star, often painted as the shy, slightly sulky redhead. But today Nicola is a confident, tough-talking sex kitten and fast becoming a style icon.

The low self-esteem that once tormented her has been banished and a gutsy young woman is starting to emerge.

“I was so insecure, but you’ve got to accept who you are,” she says.

And it’s clear she has. Gone is the fake tan Nicola once slathered herself in to compete with her bandmates. Gone too are the golden highlights she used to disguise the red hair that made her the butt of so many cruel taunts.

It’s taken time, but she has finally embraced her looks. And so have others.

Now, Nicola, 24, is regularly spotted in prime position on the coveted front row at top fashion shows, has designers queuing up to dress her and, after 18 months of hard work, has just fully launched her own brand of make-up – Dainty Doll – designed especially for girls with pale skin.

So she has every right to feel confident. Today, as she slips into a series of corsets and figure-hugging dresses for our ’40s-inspired shoot, she seems perfectly at ease flying solo minus the support of Cheryl Cole, 27, Kimberley Walsh, 28, Sarah Harding, 28, and Nadine Coyle, 25.

“It’s been brilliant to have a break from the band,” she says. “I’m so proud of what everyone has achieved and it’s nice for us to see each other succeeding on our own.”

It’s early evening by the time Nicola finally curls up on the studio sofa for our interview.

Three and a half hours in hair and make-up (what were they doing in there?) and then another 45 minutes for touch-ups between each shot have eaten up much of the day.

It’s been worth the wait though – with Nicola transformed from girl-band member to gorgeous screen siren. And if she’s tired now, she doesn’t show it, staying late and chatting happily about her family, boyfriend and business plans.

It’s only when the conversation turns to Girls Aloud and the recent speculation that LA-based Nadine is set to be booted out of the band, that the atmosphere turns chilly.

Constantly denying rumours of fall-outs and break-ups might be tiresome for the girls, who haven’t recorded together for two years, but the gossip refuses to go away.

And these latest whispers are said to have left Nadine feeling “really hurt” although according to Nicola, she won’t be getting her P45 any time soon.

“That’s crazy,” she says with more than a little exasperation. “Look, we had a press conference two days after we got in the band on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 and one of the questions back then was whether Nadine was leaving.

“For some reason these rumours have been around the whole time. It’s boring and I choose not to take it on board any more.”

When asked where the stories are coming from, Nicola simply shrugs. There’s a shake of the head when pressed over whether there is even talk of Nadine’s departure.

Yet Nicola admits she can’t remember the last time she spoke to her bandmate, who has reportedly just split up with her boyfriend of two years, US footballer Jason Bell, 32.

She says matter-of-factly: “I don’t know if any of the girls have spoken to her recently or not. I know I haven’t spoken to her for a while. We don’t have a really close relationship but when we do meet up everything’s fine.

“I’m closest to Cheryl and Kimberley and have been all the way through. We just clicked.”

Have they drifted apart from Nadine?

“I think drifting apart is quite a negative term. There are always going to be people you work with who you’re closer to than others. That’s natural. She lives in LA and it’s fine.

“We’re never in the same place at the same time anyway. Obviously four of us are based in the same country so it’s easier for us to meet up.”

And when the band does get back together (she says nothing is “pencilled in”, not even for 2011), will they still be a five-piece?

“Yes.”

So just to clarify for the rumour-mongers, on a scale of one to 10, how would she rate the chances of Nadine being back in the band? Nicola sniffs.

“That’s a stupid question and I’m not answering it.”

It has been an eventful 12 months for the band, even by Girls Aloud’s standards. Kimberley has fronted a campaign for New Look and broken into TV presenting this summer. Sarah is now running a nightclub with plans to open a second. And, of course, after the elation of Cheryl’s solo success – a number one single and album – came the heartache of her split with Ashley and later the deadly malaria that forced her to take time off The X Factor midway through the auditions.

Nicola refuses to talk about Cheryl. Her guard is instantly up at the mention of her name.

“All I want to say is that she’s good,” she says carefully.

Nor does she want to comment on whether Cheryl and dancer Derek Hough are a couple.

“These people are my friends and I don’t feel comfortable seeing stuff I’ve said about them in print,” she says.

Nicola is far more relaxed, however, when it comes to talking about her two-year relationship with businessman Charlie Fennell, 24, who customises jet-skis. The couple, who were introduced by Sarah Harding, share a luxury apartment in Surrey.

“Is he The One? Yeah, he is,” she beams. “He’s just lovely and so special. Nothing’s too much trouble, he’s really caring. And it helps that he’s gorgeous!

“He’s easy going and very mature. He has a very strong work ethic. And he just sees my job as work.”

While she says she wants to “spend the rest of my life with Charlie”, she’s not quite ready for a trip down the aisle.

“I’m really struggling with the getting older thing. I’m 25 this year and it’s freaking me out.”

With her porcelain skin and tiny frame, Nicola looks so delicate that a gust of wind might carry her away. All the girls have been subjected to scrutiny over their shapes, but Nicola insists she’s naturally thin.

“I don’t work out,” she says. “And I’ve never dieted! Can you imagine if I did? I actually have to be very conscious to make sure I eat. If I’m remotely run-down, tired or worried then I can drop weight overnight. I eat loads and have big portions but my mum’s side of the family is thin.

“I’m hyperglycemic so I have to eat a lot and often otherwise my blood sugar levels drop. And I have a lot of allergies – wheat and dairy make my skin break out.

“I know my arms can look skinny. I’d rather have them fuller and more womanly. But I like my legs, though. And my hair!”

These days Nicola’s proud to be flying the flag for redheads, along with the likes of Doctor Who assistant Karen Gillan and singer Florence Welch.

“The more redheads the better!” she says. “It’s important for every young girl to have someone she can relate to. Oh my God, I’m all for it.”

The eldest of four children, Nicola grew up in Runcorn, Cheshire and regularly travels home to see mum Debbie, dad Paul and her younger siblings.

Sister Frankie, 21, is hoping to embark on a music career herself, while 13-year-old Harrison is at the Liverpool FC academy. At 10, Clayton is the baby of the family and is spoiled rotten.

“He’s ruined. We smother him because he’s the youngest. Frankie has turned into the most gorgeous girl. She’s moving to London and I’ll help her as much as I can but she has to learn for herself.”

Nicola, who has amassed an estimated £5million fortune, confesses that she struggles to comprehend how much she’s achieved since she joined the band at the tender age of 17.

“I’ve been very lucky and sometimes it’s hard to get my head round everything that’s happened. It’s too weird.

“I’m launching my own make-up range in Harrods! How did that happen to the tomboy girl who used to climb trees?”

Nicola’s eagerly anticipated cosmetics range came about on the back of the 2008 ITV2 series The Passions Of Girls Aloud, which saw her create a batch of Dainty Doll make-up.

It caused such a stir when it hit Asos.com, she decided to do it bigger and better, using the break from the band to throw herself into the project. If she wasn’t happy with something, it was back to the lab to try again. The result is a range of foundations and concealers for fairer skin as well as eyeliners and shadows that everyone can wear.

“I wasn’t prepared for the amount of work and mental stress,” Nicola says. “But I was always really ambitious for the brand and I was so aware that there weren’t many different tones out there for women with really pale skin.”

Nevertheless, music remains Nicola’s first love.

“That’s what will always be my main passion.”

So surely all the more reason to round up the Girls Aloud gang and get back into the studio?

“I don’t know. I can’t wait to get back together and make another record and have the chaos in the dressing room. But I can’t speak for everyone. Nobody knows what’s round the corner.”

SO NICOLA, HAVE YOU EVER…

Stolen anything?

We always steal each other’s lipgloss if that counts.

Pulled a sickie for work?

I was really bad for that in the beginning. I used to get Kimberley to tell the label I was sick and then I’d go back up to Liverpool and see my friends.

Turned up for work still drunk from the night before?

Erm yes. It was in the early days when I was only 17 and we played Party in the Park. I see the footage now and can see I look terrible. I’d never do it now.

Used fame to get something for free?

We get sent things to the office without asking for them. I always send thank you cards to everyone.

Said: ‘Don’t you know who I am?’

No! Surely no one does? I’ve never heard anyone do it.

Dainty Doll by Nicola Roberts is available in Harrods now and at Asos.com from the end of September. Further stockists to be announced.

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