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Cheeky Girls

The Cheeky Girls reveal battle with anorexia, anxiety and depression at the height of their fame

The dynamic duo spoke out on the dark side of their fame.

ALONG WITH ROY Keane storming out of Saipan and abandoning the Irish football team at the World Cup, 2002 will also be remembered by Irish millennials for a very catchy song.

RememberTheCDSingle / YouTube

It’s been 16 years since the incessant ‘Cheeky Girls (Touch My Bum)’ was released and I doubt it will ever leave my memory.

The eponymous song was a smash hit for The Cheeky Girls, a pair of Romanian-born twins, selling 1.2 million records worldwide. The twins, Monica and Gabriela Irimia, burst onto the UK and Irish pop scene in 2002 when they were 19-years-old after appearing on Popstars: The Rivals.

Cheeky Girls Umberto Giannini PA Archive / PA Images PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images

However, speaking during an appearance on Loose Women, the twins have revealed the dark side of finding worldwide fame.

Monica and Gabriela, now aged 35, have spoken out for the first time about their secret battle with a range of mental issues, which they said were brought about as a result of the pressures of stardom. The twins have revealed that they suffered from anxiety, depression and anorexia.

Monica explained:

During the first five years of our career, we enjoyed success and suddenly we found that our life was totally controlled by the record label. We didn’t have free time for ourselves, working 24 hours a day during travelling.

Cheeky girls Soap Awards PA Archive / PA Images PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images

Monica said that the despite their mum being their manager, it was difficult for the twins as they didn’t have a social life, which she explained led to their depression.

Monica elaborated further on this dark period of their lives:

I look back on things and I have a lot of memory loss. We were feeding each other mentally, we never had a problem of weight, but it was due to loss of control.
We wore baggy clothes, we made everyone believe we were eating. We got competitive with each other, we were hiding it very well.

Cheeky Girls Cancer Research PA Archive / PA Images PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images

Monica explained that with a mental disorder, like anorexia, it is always with you.

Once you suffer from this condition, it will always be there, but we are 100% in control, we are in a better place

Glad to hear it, gals.

Wonder if they would ever do a remix of ‘Cheeky Girls (Touch My Bum)’ with Jedward? If you’ve been affected by any of the subject matter in this article then please contact one of the following organisations: Bodywhys: 1890 200 444 Samiritans: (01) 872 7700

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