Rochelle Humes has weighed in on her relationship with The Saturdays bandmate Frankie Bridge following their rumoured feud.
Despite both women denying there has been a fallout, the rumour mill went into overdrive last year after Frankie hinted at a feud in a cryptic TikTok video, posted just weeks after the pair reportedly ‘snubbed’ each other at Wimbledon.
The former bandmates, both 36, became friends in childhood, both finding fame in S Club Juniors before joining Una Healy, Vanessa White and Mollie King in The Saturdays.
In a new interview with Hunger magazine where she styled a new blonde pixie cut wig, Rochelle shut down any speculation of a feud by insisting the band will always and have always had respect for each other.
Rochelle explained: ‘We’ve always had such respect for each other.’
While addressing the reason behind the band splitting up, Rochelle added: ‘Everyone wanted that drama for us. They couldn’t understand the idea that, actually, five girls [could] get on.
Rochelle Humes has weighed in on her relationship with The Saturdays bandmate Frankie Bridge following their rumoured feud
Despite both women denying there has been a fallout, the rumour mill went into overdrive last year after Frankie hinted at a feud in a cryptic TikTok video (pictured in 2009)
‘But no, we didn’t [split]! Don’t get me wrong, we had disagreements, but we were like sisters. Everyone expected [being in a girl band] to be really traumatic, but it wasn’t.’
She continued: ‘I don’t think we even planned to not do anything again. It was more like, I wanna try this thing, or, Yeah, I’m having these conversations. We were all really open about it.
‘We were all interested in doing our own thing for a bit, and excited to see what could run alongside our music careers. But I think we probably do owe the record label an album.’
Rochelle delighted in being the cover star of Hunger’s January edition and styled a blonde pixie cut wig.
She wowed in a series of sophisticated, but sexy ensembles as she posed up a storm on the front cover.
Elsewhere in the interview, Rochelle powerfully declared she probably has the ‘thickest skin in the world’, having grown up in the public eye from a young age.
She said: ‘I think I’ve probably got the thickest skin in the world. I don’t think you’ll meet anyone with thicker skin than me. I’ve been in [the industry] for such a long time.
‘Being young, [I] always heard the negatives or focused on the things that [I] needed to improve on, but I’m actually really grateful for that, because it made me want to really master the craft of whatever it was that I was doing.’
In a new interview with Hunger magazine, Rochelle shut down any speculation of a feud by insisting the band will always and have always had respect for each other
Rochelle explained: ‘We’ve always had such respect for each other’
The former bandmates became friends in childhood, both finding fame in S Club Juniors before joining Una Healy, Vanessa White and Mollie King in The Saturdays (pictured in 2009)
While addressing the reason behind the band splitting up, Rochelle added: ‘Everyone wanted that drama for us. They couldn’t understand the idea that, actually, five girls [could] get on’
Rochelle delighted in being the cover star of Hunger’s January edition and debuted a blonde pixie cut
She wowed in a series of sophisticated, but sexy ensembles as she posed up a storm on the front cover
Elsewhere in the interview, Rochelle powerfully declared she probably has the ‘thickest skin in the world’, having grown up in the public eye from a young age
She said: ‘I think I’ve probably got the thickest skin in the world. I don’t think you’ll meet anyone with thicker skin than me’
She added: ‘Being young, [I] always heard the negatives or focused on the things that [I] needed to improve on, but I’m actually really grateful for that.’
Rochelle graced the cover of Hunger Magazine this month
Prior to The Saturdays being formed in 2007, Frankie and Rochelle already knew each other.
The pair met when they were picked to join S Club Juniors in 2001 – a spin-off from S Club 7 – and they went on to release six top 10 singles.
When the group disbanded four years later, Rochelle went on to host the show Smile, while Frankie attempted to make it as a solo singer.
Yet their paths soon crossed again in 2007 when there was an open casting for a new girl group – which turned out to become The Saturdays.
Initially though, the pair had reservations.
Frankie was invited to audition by executives of a record label, but she was reluctant to become a member of ‘another girl band.’
Meanwhile, Rochelle thought ‘putting five girls together in The Saturdays sounds like a recipe for disaster.’
She explained in a 2023 interview: ‘You hear horror stories of girl bands hating each other, and we weren’t always on the same page, but we felt lucky and respected each other. It was a sister-like relationship.’
The other members of The Saturdays have not commented on the rumoured rift and the five-piece have not been pictured together in the same room for eight years (last pictured in 2017)
The group last reunited in 2017 for Mollie’s birthday, with the star saying at the time: ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday surprise than these 4 faces!!!’
The Saturdays kickstarted their career by touring with Girls Aloud and went on to earn a name in their own right – eventually releasing 13 top 10 singles.
In 2014 they embarked on a Greatest Hits tour and released the album, Finest Selection: The Greatest Hits.
Yet while there was a sense of finality in the wording, Frankie was quick to insist: ‘This is not the end, just a milestone along the way.’
The following year, Mollie insisted that the band ‘would be recording another album after Christmas’, downplaying any claims of a split as she insisted ‘we are doing our own things this year.’
Frankie echoed these sentiments in a 2015 interview, where she revealed: ‘We’re recording again this year, which will be great as we all genuinely get on.
‘The reason we’ve stayed together so long is we have the freedom to do our thing, have time with our families then come back together.’
However, new music never materialised and by 2017, Vanessa had shut down hopes of a reunion as she insisted she was focusing on her solo career.
‘I don’t think I could go back. I’ve got so much that I want to do,’ she told Hunger magazine. ‘There’s no space mentally for me to go back. As time goes on, I know it just wouldn’t feel right for me.’
Prior to The Saturdays being formed in 2007, Frankie and Rochelle already knew each other, having met when they were picked to join S Club Juniors in 2001
S Club Juniors went on to release six top 10 singles (L-R Back) Daisy Evans, Jay Asforis, Frankie, Rochelle, Stacey McClean, Calvin Goldspink, (Front) Aaron Renfree, Hannah Riching pictured in 2002
In the years that have followed, there have been hints of reunions but they haven’t followed through.
Una recently told The Sun that she was the driving force behind trying to get the band back together, saying: ‘If anyone’s going to make it happen, it’s me.
‘I’m always poking – it’s like poking the group chat. I’m all on it, I’m on the case.’
However, Frankie claimed there wasn’t scope for this, saying on Olivia Attwood’s podcast So Wrong It’s Right podcast in April: ‘I don’t think there will be [a reunion]. Never say never… but I’d feel a bit old and a bit silly.’
Meanwhile, in June, Rochelle said she also didn’t want to reunite, musing: ‘Never say never, but I can’t picture it. I can’t see it in the near future, but you never know
‘There was no drama with us. We didn’t have a fall-out, we didn’t leave because somebody hates the other and, you know, we’ve got a great relationship still.’
Despite her claims that there was no bad blood for the group – the bandmates haven’t been pictured together as a five-piece since 2017.
The group reunited then for Mollie’s birthday, with the star saying at the time: ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday surprise than these 4 faces!!!’
In recent years, there have been hints of The Saturdays having a reunion, but they haven’t followed through (pictured in 2008)
Rochelle later claimed that while the group have been meaning to catch up – they simply haven’t been able to sync up their calendars.
She explained: ‘It’s hard to get the five of us in a room for dinner. Our group chat’s full of drink invites but nobody can pick a date.
‘We were better when one person ran the diary. Everyone’s got their own stuff or the kids – never say never, but I highly doubt it anytime soon.’
Most recently, Mollie, Frankie and Rochelle all attended Wimbledon – but their interactions with each other were limited.
Both Frankie and Rochelle were pictured enjoying the hospitality at the tennis tournament but they did not spend much time together.
An onlooker claimed: ‘It was clear the women were keeping their distance. They sat on opposite sides of the suite and kept to themselves.’
They added to The Sun: ‘While Frankie posed for pictures with S Club’s Rachel Stevens, Rochelle took selfies with her husband Marvin and his I’m A Celebrity campmate Sam Thompson.
‘Even though they were pleasant to each other when they did brush shoulders, they didn’t spend any extra time together than they had to, in between being amicable while passing each other en route to watch the tennis.’
Meanwhile, Molly was seen at the tournament on the same day but was not spotted interacting with either Frankie or Rochelle.
Frankie and Rochelle were said to have been embroiled in a secret feud – which they have denied – after reports they ‘snubbed’ each other at Wimbledon (both pictured on June 30)
Speculation of a feud then went into overdrive when Frankie shared a TikTok video about holding a grudge – with fans questioning if she was referring to Rochelle
Fans were quick to question if the post about making a grudge was aimed at Rochelle
Meanwhile, Rochelle shared a cryptic post of her own on Friday about ‘figuring things out’, alongside the song All That Really Matters by Teddy Swims
Frankie’s representatives told Daily Mail that there is ‘absolutely no feud’ between the pair, while The Sun reports that those close to Rochelle insist there is ‘no feud’.
Yet that didn’t stop Frankie posting a cryptic social media post on Monday that was captioned: ‘You’re so quiet… Thanks, you said something five years ago and I’ve just realised you’re actually dead to me.’
The TikTok video showed Frankie sipping on a glass of wine and was set to the music of Avril Lavigne’s What The Hell.
Frankie then added below: ‘Takes me a while, but once you’re dead you’re dead.’
She didn’t specify who or what incident she was talking about in the post.
Meanwhile, Rochelle shared a cryptic post of her own on Friday about ‘figuring things out’, alongside the song All That Really Matters by Teddy Swims.
She reposted the quote: ‘Being ready is a myth. You start. You suck. You figure it out. You get better.’
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