Free Cheryl Cole: Her Story - the Unauthorized Biography by Gerard Sanderson

announce the final band members, Cheryl was trying to predict what might happen in the next few minutes.
    In many people’s minds, Nadine and Javine were shoo-ins, no question about it. Nadine had received universal glowing praise practically every week and had been described as a new Mariah Carey and Celine Dion rolled into one. Even Cheryl had to admit that her voice was faultless and probably the best in the competition. On the final show she had sung ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ which she attacked with gusto. And her hard work had paid off; the judges loved her. ‘Great job -there was a bit of a wiggle – let go and do your own thing,’ Geri gushed; while Louis beamed, ‘This band will be the start of a long career for Nadine Coyle.’ Pete proved just as impressed and described her performance as ‘fabulous’.
    Meanwhile, Javine was also proving popular. Described by many as the UK’s answer to Whitney Houston, she was the contestant with the powerhouse vocals and that dash of urban cool that some thought would give the final band an all-important edge. Her final performance was a rousing rendition of Chaka Khan’s ‘I’m Every Woman’. When she finished the song, the audience went wild and the other girls had looked at each other and agreed that Javine was in the band for sure. The judges seemed to agree. ‘So impressive,’ was Geri’s input. Louis then confidently declared, ‘She’s got soul – great performer – has to make the band.’ And Pete concurred, stating, ‘She’s in the band – no question.’
    So where did that leave the rest of the girls? Kimberley’s version of Diana Ross’s ‘Chain Reaction’ had gone down a storm, with Louis declaring it a ‘fantastic performance’ and Geri likening her to J.Lo, while Nicola’s lively take on The Pointer Sisters’ ‘I’m So Excited’ received great comments from the panel, including ‘You walked it’ from Pete and ‘She’ll make the band’ from Louis. Sarah’s enthusiastic performance of ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ also got her the thumbs-up from the gang, with Geri summing up her appeal by describing her as a sexy girls’ girl.
    And what had they made of Cheryl’s tender take on Richard Marx’s ‘Right Here Waiting’? Well, Louis simply said, ‘Vote for her!’, while Geri described her as ‘gorgeous, photogenic and emotional’. Cheryl picked up on the fact that Geri had not referredto her vocal performance, and Pete too avoided mention of her singing prowess, and instead praised Cheryl for being one of the nicest kids and said he ‘felt for her’. He felt for her? Did that mean he didn’t hold out much hope for her in the show?
    What made it worse for Cheryl was that if her performance on the night wasn’t enough for her to win, she’d also be disappointing her family and friends who had spent the week campaigning on her behalf. Among them was her pal John Mulroy, who had gone out of his way to produce a forty-foot-long banner that bore the words ‘Vote For Cheryl, Popstars: The Rivals ’. After having a word with Newcastle City Council he was given permission to hang his work from the Tyne Bridge so that motorists driving along it knew what they had to do that following Saturday. ‘It’s great Geordies support their own,’ he said. ‘We all want Cheryl to do us proud. And we’re sure she will. But it’s down to the viewers to make a difference.’ And it wasn’t just close friends who were drumming up support for the local celebrity. So too was the Evening Chronicle , which produced its own ‘We’re Backing Cheryl’ banner. One thing was for sure, Cheryl wasn’t alone in her fight for fame.
    But the time for fighting and self-reflection was over. Davina stood, ready to announce the final line-up: behind her on stage were five stools that the band members would take, just as Jamie Shaw, Daniel Pearce, Anton Gordon, Keith Semple and Matt Johnson had done one week previously, forming One True Voice.