Girls Aloud: Kimberley Walsh

She is one of those people who is good with money precisely because she lived through early financial crisis. 'It was quite tough because my dad's business went bankrupt when I was about five and everything changed. We begged, borrowed and stole to stay in the house but there were a lot of arguments and I could see the strain it put on my parents.' Kimberley, 27, is the second of four children, and her parents divorced soon after the youngest, now 21, was born. 'Not very nice,' she says, 'but we kind of got it. We knew it was better that they weren't together and at each other's throats all the time.'

Her mother is a music teacher and the children grew up around a piano. 'We were a bit like the von Trapps,' she says. 'When things aren't so rosy, you find ways to brighten them up and singing was our way. I mean, to go to McDonald's was a massive treat for us.' She was about to embark on her third year studying English and media at Leeds University when she got into the band, and she never completed her degree.

She feels that, at 20, she was better equipped than some of the younger girls to deal with the shock of the situation. 'I was a bit hardened to it and a little bit more comfortable with myself but it still hit me pretty hard to be honest.'

Except for one incident, when she was photographed smoking a joint at a party - she apologised and said she had got caught up in the moment - Kimberley has been left alone by the tabloids, largely because hers is the steadiest love life in the band. She met her boyfriend, Justin Scott, five years ago when he was in the now defunct boy band Triple 8. They live together in a house in Princess Park Manor (where Cheryl, Ashley and Nicola used to live), and Justin now works in record promotions and doesn't begrudge her any of her success. 'He's just weirdly understanding about it really,' she says. 'I am lucky. I am no more talented than he is. I've done no more hard work than he has but I've been luckier. He gets it.' She hopes they will get married at some point. 'In that way he's just a big kid,' she says. 'He still doesn't feel that we're old enough to get married and I'm fine with that. I'd definitely like to have kids with him one day, so let's see.'

Kimberley says she lives a simple life. She is hoping to spend most of January in the sun but it will have to be somewhere with lots of activities because 'Justin is mixed race, so he's not really bothered about sunbathing and he gets bored out of his head'.

Kimberley and Cheryl are the two most maternal members of the band and both are protective of Nicola. Not only is Nicola the baby but she has been consistently mocked for being ginger and scowly. Chris Moyles in particular called her 'horsey chops' and a 'sour-faced old cow'. Although he has since apologised, Kimberley is unamused. 'Why would you do that to a young girl?' she asks. 'It's hard enough being a teenager. We always told her she was unique. Now she feels happy and that's amazing. It's just growing up really; the only difference is that she's done it in front of people.'

Kimberley might go back to her von Trapp roots and pursue a career in musicals when Girls Aloud call it a day. In the meantime, Gary Barlow has roped her and Cheryl in to climb Kilimanjaro in February in aid of Comic Relief. Neither has done any training at all. 'I'm scared I won't get up it,' she says. If she approaches the mountain with customary Girls Aloud grit, she'll be the first to reach the summit.

Hair by Lisa Laudet at Frank agency. Make-up by Liz Martin at Naked.
Fashion assistants: Orsolya Szabo and Amy Li

Photographed in the Shooting Gallery at the luxurious Haymarket Hotel
1 Suffolk Place, London SW11 4BP, 020 7470 4000; www.haymarkethotel.com. Rooms start from £250 plus VAT.