The way they were: Girls Aloud take a look back at their 10 Years At Top... right down to their VERY first audition

Glitzy, groomed and with a little less northern drawl, Girls Aloud have certainly gone through some glamorous changes in the last decade.

But the five girls didn't always look so perfect, as Girls Aloud Ten Years At The Top reminded fans on Saturday.

Footage unearthed from the Popstars The Rivals archive shows Cheryl Cole, Nicola Roberts, 27, Kimberley Walsh, 32, Nadine Coyle, 27, Sarah Harding, 31, before they hit global fame.

Pop Star in the making: Cheryl's floral top and henna dyed hair is a far cry from her groomed look today

The way she was: Cheryl Cole today (left) and on her very first audition, wearing a floral top 

Cheryl Tweedy, as she was known then can be seen with a straightened bob, grinning nervously at Louis Walsh, while Nicola, then 17, looks every inch the chubby faced teenager.

The documentary, which looked back at the last ten years of the group, who sold five platinum albums, took fans on a journey right from the start to the present day.

Although avoiding marriages, rehab or any potential feuds the glossy documentary revealed just what each and every girl has been up to since they announced Girls Aloud were reuniting after three years.

What a transformation: Nicola's look has gone from chubby faced teenager to a smooth sophisticated woman

Blonde ambition: Sarah Harding has gone from hooped earrings to a sleek look 

And as the girls looked back at their very first audition they revealed just what happened when they became Girls Aloud.

Sarah admitted before she auditioned for the hit show she was asked 'What have you got to lose?', to which she replied: 'Well, my dignity.'

And for Cheryl said she kept it a secret from everyone: 'I didnt tell anybody i was going to London, I just packed a case and went to London. It was a very daunting experience to go into that audition room, especially infront of experienced eyes.'

Simply stunning: Kimberley Walsh lost her straighteners and became a tousled hair fan 

Billed as the most popular girl at the start of the process, Nadine now runs a bar in LA

But all five got through to London live shows, and the stress began.

Cheryl said in the moments before the final line-up was announced she was just thinking, 'I remember thinking just say it, and she said it. I was over the moon I was in, but it quickly hit you who it wasn't going to be.'

Nicola added: 'I felt it was madness', while Kimberley added: 'My reaction was, ugh, thank God it;s over.'

Back in the day: Just after their win, the girls try to get used to posing up for the cameras

Didn't stop: The girls said when they first won Popstars The Rivals they would travel for weeks on end

Sarah, who beat Javine Hyton to get into the band, said: 'It was torment and relief at the same time.'

And after they won the girls said the work didn't stop, taking them from obscurity to nationwide fame.

Cheryl admitted the night after she gained her spot in the group she just stared at the ceiling of her hotel room and thought, 'I'm ecstatic'.

Playing the fame game: Cheryl Cole said the realisation she was famous quickly dawned

She added: 'People treat you different, people who wouldn't have given you the time of day before will say hi to you. Suddenly you start to realise you can't nip to the garage for a pint of milk in your pajamas if you want to.'

Nicola said the group were touring for weeks after they won to get the Christmas number 1 against boyband One True Voice.

Cringing Nicola, who released a solo album to critical acclaim said: 'We were driving around and when we stopped at traffic lights we would wind down the windows and shout at people to buy our single.'

Just 17: Nicola looks nervous as she sings for her first audition

Nice jackets ladies! Kimberley, Cheryl and Nicola back in the day

Sound Of The Underground: Cheryl in the group's first ever video, with a Croydon facelift she may not be seen dead in now

But it worked and Sound Of The Underground shot to top of the charts.

And although to the outside world they were best of friends, in the documentary Cheryl reveals there were some ups and a downs.

She said: 'It was intense and crazy hard work, there was always a drama of some description. There were five girls, there was always a drama. If someones on one for some reason you know to avoid that person, we never exploded though.'

Vamping up the glamour: The girls make the most of their stylists

The tour bus: The girls revealed they spent weeks driving up and down the country

Although Kimberley said that she enjoyed the travelling to and from gigs or appearances as part of the group.

But it wasn't just the touring the group had to get used to, Nicola revealed in the documentary that the group had no clue how to manage bills or their flat and would call the record label if their were problems.

She said: ''The flat was a mess, when the washing machine broke we called the marketing bloke at the label. I remember one night me and Cheryl were sat in the cold and we turned the gas rings on. Our marketing guy came over and just said "Why are you sitting in the cold?", we said the heatings broken, he said "you just have to turn the dial up".

Top Of The Pops: The documentary took a look at the band's decade long history

Solo success: Cheryl didn't mention her marriage or any romance during the show

The documentary, which showed what the girls did after the band decided to take a break.

Kimberley's stage career, Nicola's make-up range, Sarah's film cameos and Nadine's LA bar were given a cursory nod while producers focused on Cheryl's solo career as the main success of the group.

Nadine, who at point was tipped to have the best solo career of the five, brushes over her failure to become big as a solo artist and says she loves the anonymity of running Irish Mist in LA.

Fight For This Love: Cheryl on her sell-out arena tour in that famous gold catsuit

Despite the fact that the documentary managed to gloss over quite a few significant parts of the Girls Aloud history it fast became a trending topic on Twitter.

Ending the show the girls were asked what they had learnt about being in Girls Aloud.

Sarah said: 'Being in Girls Aloud has given me everything I wanted in a career. I have been able to see the world.'

Whereas Kimberley added: I feel proud to be a member of Girls Aloud, its an experience we have shared. 

But the last moments of the show were given to Cheryl who said: 'Being in Girls Aloud has been some of the best years of my life so far. I feel blessed that I have experienced them with these four girls.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2248787/The-way-Girls-Aloud-look-10-Years-At-Top--right-VERY-audition.html#ixzz2FAbxpzY9
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