The real reason Aussie girl group Bardot broke up finally revealed

Aussie girl band Bardot was the first group formed from the TV series Popstars and saw huge success with their debut album that featured the lead single 'Poison'.

The girl band, made up of Sophie Monk, Belinda Chapple, Tiffani Wood, Katie Underwood, and Sally Polihrona released two albums before disbanding in 2002.

While at the time it was stated that it was a 'mutual' decision, rumours long swirled that Sophie Monk's solo career was the real reason behind the split.

"I think when Sophie went solo, everyone assumed that it was she who broke up the band, which wasn't right," Bardot member Sally said in a 2004 interview with FHM.

But now, Belinda Chapple has released a new tell-all book titled The Girl in the Band about her experience in Bardot and dropped some juicy unknown details along the way.

Belinda's book says Sophie's solo career was the cause of Bardot's breakup

Belinda's book details that the decision for the band to break up was told to them by management, rather than the "mutual" decision that was cited at the time.

With Sophie deciding to pursue a solo career with their manager at the time David Caplice, the other girls were told the band was over.

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But Belinda told Yahoo Lifestyle that it wasn't necessarily the case of Sophie getting a contract before the band had broken up.

"No I don't know if Sophie had signed anything at that point," she said.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Belinda said her heart was 'broken entirely'.

“Imagine being on a bus with a whole group of people behind the scenes and the band, and you’re just going full-steam ahead for three years. And then someone swings the van door open and throws you out on the road, closes it, and keeps going,” she said.

Sophie originally wasn't keen to continue with Bardot after Katie Underwood left the band

Sally Polihrona told Yahoo Lifestyle that after Katie Underwood left the band a year after their debut single 'Poison' was released, they took time to consider whether or not they should continue and release their second album.

"After Katie left, we all had a moment to think about whether we were to continue as a band. Sophie wasn’t that keen but we convinced her to stay. She said she’d give it another year, which she honoured. We both knew for a while that it wasn’t the environment we wanted to stay in," Sally said.

Bardot made a lot of money as a band, but were paid terribly

Belinda's book says the girls received a $35 a day pay per diem, and Belinda has said in interviews with various media outlets that she heard rumours that the gross profits for Bardot from their first year as a band came in around the $27-$28 million mark.

Even after 'Poison' sold almost 300,000 copies, the girls still received their weekly cash-in-hand envelopes, sometimes even being shortchanged.

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There was pressure to change or maintain their looks and weight

Belinda said that two members of Bardot privately underwent cosmetic surgery during the height of their fame, and she found herself battling an eating disorder, obsessively monitoring her calories.

Belinda is still friends with the Bardot members, minus Sophie Monk

Belinda now has a music project with Katie Underwood, with the two releasing new music soon. However, she hasn't spoken to Sophie since the days Bardot disbanded.

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