After three years outside the public eye (well, perhaps not in Cheryl’s case), Girls Aloud are about to make a comeback and their new single – ‘Something New’ - has made an appearance online.

The track, their first since 2009’s ‘Untouchable’, is set for release this Friday but, as happens so often these days, has been leaked online in advance of its official release date. Was this accidental, or the work of some inscrutable record company executives? We’ll let you be the judge of that.

Cheryl Cole last week suggested that the band’s resurgence would be temporary, as they are only back together for a 10th anniversary tour and a greatest hits album. In her autobiography Cheryl: My Story, she stated: "We'll be working on a tour and greatest hits album. Then I think that's it for Girls Aloud. We've achieved more than any of us ever dared to dream of."

Meanwhile, in other Girls Aloud news, the gal group are hotly tipped to be one of the performing bands at this year’s Royal Variety Performance in the Royal Albert Hall towards the end of November.