Birth name Kimberley Jane Walsh

Birthday 20 November 1981

Star sign Scorpio

Birthplace Bradford, West Yorkshire

Kimberley Walsh was born to dad John and mum Diane in 1981. She has an older sister named Sally and younger siblings Adam and Amy.

Kimberley’s parents separated when she was six and her schoolteacher mum earned extra money as a piano teacher.

Growing up in Bradford’s Allerton and Sandy Lane, Kimberley was educated at Sandy Lane Primary School, Stoney Lee Middle School and Beckfoot Grammar School.

She attended local stage school Stage 84 for a number of years and made her first television appearance in a George At Asda advert with her sister Sally.

As a child, Kimberley also played the role of Young Cosette in a regional production of Les Misérables and starred in ITV kids’ show The Book Tower in 1986.

Kimberley Walsh was studying English at Leeds Trinity University when she auditioned for reality show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002.

She impressed the judges with her rendition of Whitney Houston’s song Where Do Broken Hearts Go? and made it through the first rounds.

Kimberley was gutted when she wasn’t chosen to be one of 20 finalists but got a second chance after another contestant was disqualified.

Following a series of live shows, Kimberley made it into group Girls Aloud. They beat rivals One True Voice to take the Christmas No 1 spot with debut single Sound Of The Underground.

Girls Aloud enjoyed a very successful career, releasing five studio albums and scoring No 1 hits with songs I’ll Stand By You, Walk This Way and The Promise.

After their Ten: The Hits Tour in 2013, the band announced their break-up.

Away from Girls Aloud, Kimberley made her West End debut as Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical in 2012. She released her solo record Centre Stage in 2013, which featured a number of musical hits.

In 2012, she partnered professional Pasha Kovalev on Strictly Come Dancing. The pair finished as runners-up behind gymnast Louis Smith.

Kimberley Walsh joined celebrities – including her Girls Aloud bandmate Cheryl Cole – to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief in 2009.

In 2013, Kimberley released her autobiography A Whole Lot Of History.

As for her personal life, Kimberley split from footballer Martin Pemberton after a four-year relationship in 2003. She started dating singer Justin Scott shortly after.

Kimberley gave birth to her and Justin’s son Bobby Jay in September 2014.