Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Sophie Monk has opened up about the emotional reasons she chose not to take part in Bardot’s recent reunion, admitting unresolved tensions with former band mates made returning to the girl group impossible.
Four of Bardot’s five original members reunited for performances at Sydney’s inaugural Mighty Hoopla festival in February before travelling to the UK for the event’s London edition.
The shows’ marked the group’s first public performances since their abrupt separation in 2002. But Monk was notably absent from the brief comeback, prompting speculation about her relationship with the band.
The Aussie singer and TV personality, who rose to fame as a member of the record-breaking pop group, discussed the difficult decision in a revealing new interview.
“It’s a really confusing one for me because I love Bardot more than anything. Like, I love the albums. I love the songs like I can’t even tell you,” Monk told news.com.au.
“It makes me sad. I haven’t really been open in saying this, because I don’t like putting anyone down, and that’s what makes me emotional,” she continued.
“But over the years, being picked on publicly by a few of the girls … one of the girls wrote a book, and there’s things in there that’s just not true.”
Her comments appear to, in part, refer to former band mate Belinda Chapple’s 2023 memoir, The Girl in The Band, which detailed her experience in Bardot and the band’s demise.
In the book, Chapple claimed the group’s future was cut short as Monk prepared for a solo career. But Monk rejected those claims.
Other tensions also surfaced in 2020, when fellow former member, Tiffani Wood, made comments on social media after Monk was announced as a contestant on The Masked Singer Australia.
“I thought Sophie was too busy for a Bardot reunion,” Wood wrote at the time, suggesting Monk may have been using the TV appearance as an opportunity to promote a solo music career.
Monk said she was still close with one member, Sally Polihronas, but years of strained relationships with the other bandmates meant the prospect of a reunion had become too emotionally complicated.
“For me to go back … Even though I want (to be part of a reunion), I can’t. I wouldn’t be respecting myself if I did, from the behaviour through the years,” Monk said.
“A couple of the girls just don’t like me – but they wanted me to do it. God, I’m trying to word it … it’s just so hard to talk about.”
Despite the controversy, Monk has positioned herself as a success in the world of TV as a host on reality series Love Island.
“I was 18 when I auditioned – they’re all in those early years too. It’s a big thing once you’re on TV and people know you, but it’s a strange thing,” she said.
“It can be good, but it can also be very confusing. That’s why it’s so beautiful to watch: It’s that real innocence. But [reality TV] is like putting a magnifying glass over you: Whatever you are, it’s going to highlight.
“Psychologically, that can really mess with you: Hang on, where do I fit now? Am I important? Am I not? I don’t know. Now [contestants] have psychiatrists, there’s support, it’s all grown into something that’s a lot better on the contestant’s side.”
