Nicola Roberts

NEWSFLASH Nicola ‘set for huge comeback’

Following her triumph on The Masked Singer, solo success is on the cards for Nicola Roberts

Nicola Roberts could make one of the biggest comebacks in pop history following her win on The Masked Singer, according to one music industry expert.

The 34-year-old star, who wowed on the red carpet at the Brit Awards last week, has revealed her future plans, saying, “I’d love to create a record and get back into that.” Now PR guru Dermot McNamara has told new he believes Nicola, who currently writes songs for other artists, is set for solo success. “Nicola’s win as Queen Bee didn’t come as a surprise to me,” says Dermot, director of Candid Publicity. “She’s incredibly talented and I think it was cathartic for her to press the reset button and be judged on the one thing she should be judged on – her talent.” Nicola, who admitted the show boosted her confidence, previously opened up about struggling as the quiet member of Girls Aloud. “The first few years of being in a group I didn’t ever speak in an interview – I was just so shy and such a baby,” she said.

But Dermot thinks she now deserves to be centre stage and predicts big things for her career.

“Long gone are the days of Nicola being the underdog of Girls Aloud. She’s now had the last laugh and the public have finally warmed to her,” he said. And with a peak of 8.4 million viewers seeing Nicola crowned the winner of the wacky show, there’ll be no stopping her. “The world is truly her oyster,” Dermot added.

Nicola – who is about to star in West End musical City Of Angels alongside US actress and singer Vanessa Williams and Divergent actor Theo James – also revealed plans for a potential reunion with bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle and Sarah Harding to celebrate Girls Aloud’s 20th anniversary in 2022.

But while she admitted she’d “love to get back with the girls”, Dermot advises her to focus on her own music after her 2011 debut album, Cinderella’s Eyes, re-entered the charts.

“There’s definitely an appetite for new solo

material and I can see her next album doing even better,” he said. “I can see it reaching the Top 10, provided she strikes while the iron’s hot. The best result for her would be to break out as a solo star in her own right – a possible Girls Aloud reunion would only set that back.”

Nicola was supported by BFFs Cheryl, 36, and Kimberley, 38, as they joined her to watch the final. Taking to Instagram, Kimberley congratulated her pal and wrote, “Can’t wait to see what you do next Ginge.”

Cheryl added, “I thought I was going to burst with pride watching the moment you were unmasked as the WINNER. Now we want the album.”

We second that, Chezza!

Georgia Trevitt PHOTOS: Getty th he e e Queen Bee unmasked Nicola stars in a West End show next month

‘Some people can’t crack an egg!’ Rylan Clark-Neal opens up about the new series of Ready Steady Cook

Rylan Clark-Neal is one of the most popular faces on TV right now. After making his debut on Supermarket Sweep last year, the 31-year-old is hosting the reboot of another 90s telly favourite Ready Steady Cook. When we meet up with him at the BBC’s Broadcasting House, even he can’t believe just how far he’s come since his iconic X Factor appearance in 2012. “It’s crazy,” Rylan tells us. “Our producer, Cat, was the very first face I saw at my audition with my long blond hair. Fast-forward eight years and we’re standing in Glasgow filming the last show for Ready Steady Cook!” Along with a new host, the show, which was last on our screens 10 years ago, will feature five new chefs – Mike Reid, Romy Gill, Akis Petretzikis, Ellis Barrie and Anna Haugh.

As we watch a sneak preview clip with Rylan, he chats to new PHOTOS: Planet Photos about getting advice from former hosts Fern Britton and Ainsley Harriott and being able to pick and choose his jobs… Hi Rylan! Did you enjoy filming Ready Steady Cook? We had the best fun. It’s quite rare to work on a show where every single person just got it. It was so lovely. It didn’t feel like work. What do you love most about the show? It doesn’t matter who you are, you feel like you could be in the Ready Steady Cook kitchen. With this show, it doesn’t matter where you live, where you come from, how old you are, what you look like or what your cooking skills are like. We had people who couldn’t even crack an egg! What were the contestants like? I think the youngest contestant was about 20 and our oldest was about 84. We had a huge age range and every single crosssection of society you can imagine. We had our first blind contestant, Alex. The first thought I had when they said a blind contestant was coming on was, ignorantly, “How is he going to get on with the chopping and the gas hob? Is it going to be dangerous?” But absolutely not. There are little things that we learnt from him and viewers will learn as well. What are your memories from the original show? It was on throughout my school years, so that 4.30pm marker was just getting home from school Original host Ainsley has been supportive

Rylan hosted the reboot of Supermarket Sweep

and being like, “Oh, dinner soon! Ready Steady Cook’s on!” Did you speak to Fern or Ainsley beforehand? The first person I rang was Fern and the second was Ainsley. They were both so lovely. They told me to make it my own. They’re tough acts to follow, but they’ve both been supportive. Did you feel pressure to do a good job? Yeah, there was pressure for all of us, but it was lifted before we started filming. We had a test day in a cookery kitchen, where we all met for the first time, and within 10 minutes all of that pressure had gone. I’ve worked with a lot of chefs over the years and the worry for me was that they can have a bit of an ego, but every single one of the chefs is lovely. How did your experience on Celebrity MasterChef [Rylan reached the final in 2015] prepare you for this? I think it helped get me to the right level. So for argument’s sake, if one of the chefs said to me, “Can He was a Celebrity MasterChef finalist

you chuck that in the blender?” I knew that the blade has got to be pushed down because blenders are quite difficult sometimes. So it’s just those little things. Some things do go wrong, but my job is to try to salvage it as much as possible. Were there any dramas along the way? We all slept with each other! [Laughs] No, there was always

a worry with the time. There were times when I would even sit there and be like, “Guys, I don’t think we’re going to get this done. It’s not going to happen.” But somehow, and I wish I could say it was the magic of telly, it just happened. Have you been inspired to try anything yourself at home? I can’t believe how quickly you can make a chapatti bread. I’m so annoyed because something I pay £3.80 for from the takeaway, I’ve had in my cupboard forever! Flour, water and a bit of oil and it’s done. Also, anything can be houmous. Absolutely anything! You’ve got an old pair of shoes? Make it into houmous! [Laughs]. And crispy kale. Kale is so bland and everyone’s like, “Oh, kale, I’m living my

best life!” I’m like, “Shut up and put your leggings away, love.” But I tried some crispy kale with a bit of chilli on it and I was like, “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. I’ve put my leggings back on!” Would you say this is more fun than Supermarket Sweep? Don’t ask me to choose between my children! They’re two very different shows. This new Ready Steady Cook is everything I think people loved about the old version, mixed with this new warmth. That’s not saying the old version wasn’t warm, but there’s no hierarchy on this show. Yes, there are chefs, yes, there’s a host and there are contestants, but there are eight people in that kitchen and we all just muck in. ‘I’m lucky – I only say yes to stuff I really want to do’ His iconic X Factor audition in 2012

You’re now king of the TV reboot! Are there any other shows you want to present? I’ve done the two I wanted to do. I’m lucky that I’m in that position where I can say no, so I only say yes to stuff I really want to do. I even put on my personal Facebook page the other day that I’m living my best life! I’ve got the two classics that I love. Are you at full capacity now? I don’t know my own name! [Laughs]. I’m in a very good place. So is what you’re doing now better than winning The X Factor? I know where my bread is buttered! Or where my houmous is made… We’re all very lucky and we hope everyone enjoys it.

GEORGIA TREVITT