The Cheeky Girls “lost control” and “became anorexic” amid their rise to fame in 2002, Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia has revealed.
Irimia, who became a star alongside her twin sister Monica during auditions for ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals, explained to The Guardian that both women struggled with their mental health and body image while promoting their track “The Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum)”.
“The year after the song came out was crazy,” Irimia said. “We won an award at the National Music Awards and went to the Philippines, Thailand, Japan and Malaysia. But it took over our lives. We didn’t have time for anything and we had no friends.”
She continued: “We were lonely, even though we were out there performing for 100,000 people at a time. We lost control, so we started to obsess over what we ate and the gym. We became anorexic. Then our label Telstar went bust – it’s said they owed us over £1m. We had to spend two years working just to pay back the debts they left us with.”
Despite their past struggles, the women continue to tour, playing the Clapham Grand in London this week, and have nothing but good memories of their most famous song, which urged listeners to touch their rear ends. “Yes, it has been voted the worst song ever,” Irimia said, “but I think that’s just people’s way of saying it’s the best song ever.”
Their mother Margit, who wrote their iconic single, added: “I’ve told the girls that there is a limited time they can do this. So they are preparing themselves for a new life by doing apprenticeships and courses. Gabriela has done three cosmetic courses and Monica is into car sales. They are passionate car drivers, both of them.”
