Girls Aloud announce reunion tour

Girls Aloud have reunited for a 12-date tour and will release a new single and album 10 years after first getting together.

Cheryl Cole said it was "incredible" to be back together, saying: "If you asked us 10 years ago we wouldn't have dreamt we'd be here today."

She said: "Touring is the best thing about what we do full stop so to be able to go out and just say thank you to the fans for 10 years of support that is a special feeling."

The singer added that although the five girls had not "been seen publicly for three years" they had been "socialising the whole time".

The group, who announced their plans at a press conference on Friday, will open their tour in Cole's hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne with two gigs on February 21 and 22 followed by nights in seven other cities including Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham.

Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw introduced them and said the five - Cole, Sarah Harding, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts - were "the defining UK girl group of the modern era".

They confirmed the release of their new single, Something New, on November 18 and a greatest hits album, called Ten, will also be released. There will be four new songs on the album and it will come with a second disc of tracks chosen by fans in a vote.

This year marks a decade since they were put together by the ITV show Popstars: The Rivals and claimed their first number one with Sound Of The Underground.

Roberts said the reunion was "meant to be" in their anniversary year, while Coyle said they would "wait and see how the fans react" before deciding what would happen next.

Cole said: "We haven't actually made any plans further than the tour."