Kimberley Walsh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kimberley Walsh
Walsh in 2009
Born	Kimberley Jane Walsh (1981-11-20) 20 November 1981 (age 43) Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Occupation	Singer actress television presenter dancer
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Justin Scott ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	3
Family	Amy Walsh (sister) Toby-Alexander Smith (brother-in-law)
Musical career
Genres	Pop musical theatre R&B
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Polydor Fascination Decca
Associated acts	Girls Aloud Aggro Santos

Kimberley Jane Scott (born Kimberley Jane Walsh on 20 November 1981) is an English singer, dancer, TV presenter, and actress. She became famous in 2002 after trying out for the TV show Popstars: The Rivals. This show helped create the girl group Girls Aloud, and Kimberley became one of its members.

Girls Aloud became very successful. They had twenty songs reach the top ten in the UK, with four of them hitting number one. Their albums sold millions of copies and were certified platinum. The group also received five BRIT Award nominations and won "Best Single" in 2009 for their song "The Promise".

While Girls Aloud took a break, Kimberley started acting and presenting. She hosted the music show Suck My Pop and covered the BAFTA Awards. She also appeared in the movie Horrid Henry: The Movie in 2011. Kimberley also sang on Aggro Santos's song "Like U Like". In 2012, she performed as Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical in London's West End theatre. She also took part in Strictly Come Dancing and was one of the finalists.

Since 2011, Kimberley has continued to perform in stage musicals. These include Elf in 2015, Big in 2019, and Sleepless in Seattle in 2019.

Early Life and Education

Kimberley Walsh was born on 20 November 1981 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Her parents are John and Diane Walsh. She grew up with her three siblings, Sally, Amy, and Adam, in Allerton, West Yorkshire. Her sisters Sally and Amy both became actresses on the soap opera Emmerdale.

Kimberley went to Sandy Lane Primary School, Stoney Lee Middle School, and Beckfoot Grammar School. She had her first experience with fame as a child, appearing in an Asda advertisement with her sister Sally. She also played Young Cosette in a local production of Les Misérables. In 1986, she appeared in ITV's The Book Tower. Kimberley also attended and briefly taught at Stage 84, a theatre school in Bradford.

Music Career

Girls Aloud

Walsh performing with Girls Aloud in August 2008

In 2002, Kimberley Walsh auditioned for the TV show Popstars: The Rivals. She sang "Where Do Broken Hearts Go". Thousands of people tried out, but only ten girls and ten boys were chosen as finalists. Kimberley didn't make the initial top ten girls. However, another contestant was removed, and Kimberley got her spot on the show.

The finalists performed live each week. Viewers voted for their favorites. On 30 November 2002, Kimberley joined Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Cheryl Tweedy to form the new girl group, Girls Aloud.

Their first song, "Sound of the Underground", went straight to number one in the UK. It became the Christmas number one song in 2002. Girls Aloud holds the record for reaching number one the fastest after being formed. Their first album, Sound of the Underground, came out in May 2003. It reached number two on the charts and sold very well. Other songs like "I'll Stand by You", "Walk This Way", and "The Promise" also reached number one.

Two of their albums, The Sound of Girls Aloud and Out of Control, reached the top of the UK Albums Chart. They sold over a million copies of The Sound of Girls Aloud. The group received seven certified albums and five Brit Awards nominations. They won "Best Single" in 2009 for "The Promise".

Girls Aloud played pop music, but they also tried different styles like electropop and dance-pop. They worked with producer Brian Higgins and his team, Xenomania. This made their pop music sound fresh and exciting. The group became one of the most successful acts from a TV reality show in the UK. By 2010, they had earned around £30 million.

Guinness World Records has recognized them several times. They were named "Most Successful Reality TV Group" in 2007 and 2011. They also held the record for "Most Consecutive Top Ten Entries in the UK by a Female Group" in 2008. Girls Aloud was the UK's best-selling girl group of the 21st century. They sold over 4.3 million singles and 4 million albums in the UK.

In July 2009, Girls Aloud announced they would take a year-long break to work on solo projects. Kimberley said she didn't think the group would ever "officially break up." She believed they would tour again and take breaks, but never permanently split.

After three years, Girls Aloud reunited for their 10th anniversary. They released a new song, "Something New", on 18 November 2012. The music video came out in October 2012. This song was also the official charity single for Children in Need in 2012. Their second greatest hits album, Ten, was released on 26 November 2012. In 2013, the group went on the Ten - The Hits Tour 2013. They announced their split shortly after the tour ended.

In May and June 2024, Kimberley and the other members of Girls Aloud reunited for a tour called The Girls Aloud Show. This tour was held to remember their bandmate Sarah Harding, who had passed away.

Solo Music Work

Kimberley Walsh was rumored to be signing a solo record deal. She later confirmed on the show Suck My Pop that she would be featured on English rapper Aggro Santos's song, "Like U Like". This was her first singing project outside of Girls Aloud. She also sang "Everybody Dance" for the Horrid Henry movie.

In 2012, Kimberley made her debut in London's West End theatre. She played Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical. She also teamed up with Alfie Boe to record a version of Queen's "One Vision." This song became the Official Olympic Team Great Britain Single. Kimberley has also performed with other artists like Neyo, Ronan Keating, and James Cullum. In August 2012, it was announced that she was talking with Gary Barlow about releasing her own solo album.

On 4 February 2013, Kimberley released her first solo album, Centre Stage. It featured popular musical songs and two new tracks. The album was released through Decca Records.

Kimberley also wrote her autobiography, called A Whole Lot of History. The book was released on 26 September 2013.

In March 2014, Kimberley helped record England's song for the 2014 World Cup. She sang "Greatest Day" with other pop stars like Melanie C and Emma Bunton. The song was produced by Gary Barlow. Famous footballers like Gary Lineker also sang backing vocals on the track.

Acting Career

Before joining Girls Aloud, Kimberley Walsh worked in theatre and acting. In 2000, she appeared in the TV series This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper. She also starred in a BBC educational program called Focus. In the same year, Kimberley tried out for the role of Maria Sutherland in Coronation Street, but another actress got the part. In 2001, she played Tracy in Dream Back.

In 2007, Kimberley and her bandmates appeared in the movie St. Trinian's. In 2008, she and Nicola Roberts had small roles in Britannia High, playing themselves.

Kimberley wanted to star in a musical. In October 2007, she successfully auditioned for a role in Les Misérables. This process was shown on the TV series The Passions of Girls Aloud in March 2008.

In late 2010, Kimberley got a role in the 3D family comedy film Horrid Henry: The Movie. She played Prissy Polly, the main character's energetic cousin. The film was released on 29 July 2011. Kimberley also appeared in the 2013 movie All Stars, playing the mother of a character she had worked with in Horrid Henry.

From October 2011 to May 2012, she played Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical in London's West End theatre. She later returned to the West End in October 2015, playing Jovie in Elf: The Musical.

In 2018, she appeared in the second season of the Channel 4 school drama Ackley Bridge. She played Claire Butterworth. Kimberley enjoyed filming in her home region, saying it was nice to hear the northern accent everywhere.

In 2019, she returned to theatre, playing Susan in the London cast of Big (musical). In 2020, Kimberley reunited with Jay McGuiness to play Annie in Sleepless: The Musical. This show was based on Sleepless in Seattle but had a limited run due to COVID-19 rules.

Presenting Career

Kimberley Walsh has also worked as a TV presenter. She was a judge on Let's Dance for Sport Relief. She also hosted coverage of the BAFTA Awards for MTV in 2010. In the summer of 2010, she hosted a Sky 1 documentary called "Girl in the Blue Jeans."

In 2009, she presented coverage for The X Factor live from South Shields. On 17–18 June 2010, Kimberley co-hosted Channel 4's The 5 O'Clock Show. She also had her own documentary for Sky 1, Kimberley Walsh: Blue Jean Girl, which aired on 17 June 2010. She later became a presenter for the music talk-show Suck My Pop on Viva. Kimberley also served as a judge on ITV's entertainment show Born to Shine.

On 9 April 2016, Kimberley co-presented Weekend Brunch for the Grand National Day special. Since 2021, she has been a co-presenter on BBC's Morning Live.

Other Ventures

In March 2009, Kimberley Walsh climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief. This climb was organized by Gary Barlow. Other celebrities like Cheryl, Alesha Dixon, and Fearne Cotton also took part. From February to March 2009, Kimberley and others also raised money for Comic Relief by providing the voice for the BT Speaking Clock.

Kimberley was the face of the fashion store New Look. In August 2010, she started writing a weekly column for OK! magazine called "Kimberley Calls The Shots."

She also became the new face and hair for Schwarzkopf. In March 2011, Kimberley worked with Tess Daly and Joanna Page to promote Red Nose Day 2011 for Maltesers. In January 2011, she was announced as the new face of Puma AG BodyTrain fitness wear. In May 2011, Kimberley became the face of Right Guard's Xtreme Dry Range.

In 2017, Kimberley launched a children's clothing line called "Kimba's Kids" with her brother. In September 2019, she signed with the outdoor clothing company Regatta.

In 2022, Kimberley appeared on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip on BBC Two. She competed against actor Ryan Thomas.

Strictly Come Dancing

In September 2012, Kimberley Walsh was announced as one of the celebrities competing in the 10th series of Strictly Come Dancing. Her professional dance partner was Pasha Kovalev. On 22 December 2012, Kimberley and Pasha finished as joint runners-up in the final. They were behind Olympic gymnast Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace.

Strictly Come Dancing performances

Personal Life

Kimberley Walsh married her long-term partner, Justin Scott, on 30 January 2016. Justin was a member of the British boy band Triple 8. Kimberley and Justin have three sons together.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Filmography

Awards and Recognition

Kimberley Walsh won the Yorkshire Woman of the Year award in 2009. This award recognized her success and her work as an ambassador for the Breast Cancer Haven charity. She also received the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Woman's award in 2009.

See also

In Spanish: Kimberley Walsh para niños

• List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants