Bardot: What happened to the Popstars winners?

It's little surprise that when Bardot released their first single, it was an instant success. With Spice Girls achieving worldwide domination, when Popstars Australia launched in 2000 they were determined to put together a successful girl band.

Hopeful girl band wannabes auditioned and competed to be chosen in the final five by judges Jackie O, Warner music executive Chris Moss, and music manager Michael Napthali.

But drama followed the band from the beginning.

Betrayal

The final five were chosen and before they even decided on a name, Chantelle Barry was let go from the band.

She had been caught taking Sophie Monk’s allowance of $100 which Sophie had left in an envelope in Chantelle's room.

"Whether I went into a bag and took it or took the envelope and never gave it back, it was still all the same outcome," Chantelle said in 2020. "I'd betrayed the trust of the group."

She was replaced by Tiffani Wood and the band released their first single, Poison, which rocketed to number one in the charts.

But life in the spotlight was hard for the girls and the band barely made it a year before Katie left the band to star in musicals.

The band limped on for another year as a four-piece before they announced the inevitable split after Sophie decided to go solo.

Shock split

"Bardot confirm their mutual decision to end the group's career," the official statement read in 2002.

"The pace at which the group's career continued from its inception at the first Australian Popstars TV show auditions, to the completion of a 3rd single from their second album Play It Like That, has taken its toll."

But this was a surprise to some members.

"Honestly, it was a shock to all of us," Belinda revealed recently. "It just came overnight. I kind of stumbled across some things in my manager’s office and kind of questioned it and then the next day we were told it was over.

"I think most of us were really disappointed," she added. "We were (very successful), we had double platinum albums and everything was going great."

While Sophie Monk has stayed in the spotlight and currently hosts Love Island Australia, what have the other girls been up to in the decades since the band broke up?

Belinda Chapple

After Bardot split up, Belinda went on to release two solo singles before focusing on working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. She also worked as a model and launched her own interior design company.

She surprised fans in 2021 by announcing that she and Katie Underwood would be recording again as Ka'Bel

Belinda has just released her tell-all book, The Girl In The Band, "a cautionary tale of exploitation and heartbreak".

"People love real stories, true stories. And I thought, what have I got to lose? Let’s just do it," she told news.com.au.

Katie Underwood

While Katie left the group to star in a theatre production of Hair, the production fell through leaving Katie without work and depressed at her decision to quit the band.

In 2011, she became a mum to twin girls and forged a career as a massage, sound healing and meditation practitioner.

She revealed in 2017 that The Voice had approached her four times to appear on the show but she turned them down as Channel Nine wanted her to "work for free".

While she has returned to music in Ka'Bel with Belinda, she's not keen to return to the limelight like it was when Bardot was big.

"My kids asked me about a year ago if I would ever get famous again. I told them I don’t really want to be ‘famous’ but that I’d work hard to make great dance music again - and if that brings respect, success and fame - I’ll take it," she said on an Instagram post in May.

Tiffani Wood

Like the other girls, Tiffani had some success as a solo artist after Bardot.

She now stays out of the spotlight and has six children - daughter Lillian, 16, with former husband Neil Cummins, as well as Harley, 9, Beau, 8, Ryder, 7, Brooklyn, 5, and Evie, 4, with partner Luke McCoy.

She has since launched a stage school for kids in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, and likes to stay close to home.

"You can travel and meet all these people and have a wonderful, exciting life, but there is absolutely nothing like the warmth of coming home," she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

"After being in Bardot, I’m a real homebody."

Sally Polihronas

Sally was the only member of Bardot who was ready to put music behind her when the band split in 2002.

Working behind the scenes, she has been happily married to husband Adrian for seven years and they have two young daughters, Chloe and Sophia.

She has now set up a mentoring service for those in the entertainment and creative industries.

"My intention is to be what I needed when I was young," she says on her website. "Combining all that I know as a performer, creative and entertainment industry professional and share it with you," she adds.

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