Sophie Monk cops sledge from Bardot bandmate after unmasking

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 03:33:40 MSK

Disguised as the Dragonfly, Monk was one of this season’s most hotly tipped contestants, her singing voice still recognisable from her tenure in the reality TV girl group Bardot 20 years ago.

Watching from home, Monk’s former bandmates Sally Polihronas and Tiffani Wood had both picked that it was her on night one.

Last night, mum-of-six Wood – who formed a brief mini-reunion with Bardot’s Belinda Chapple and Katie Underwood earlier this year – sounded off on Instagram as Monk’s identity was finally revealed.

“I thought Sophie was too busy for a Bardot reunion. I mean she’s wearing a dragonfly costume singing on a stage while I have to try and get six kids to sleep before the show comes on …” she wrote.

Ouch.

While Monk’s voice was unmistakeable, many viewers – including Masked Singer judge Jackie O, who had also been a judge choosing Bardot on Popstars back in 2000 – had their doubts simply because Monk had so completely turned her back on her singing career.

A short-lived post-Bardot stint as a solo artist finished in 2003, and last night, Monk said she’d been so “burned” by the industry that she’d barely sung in 17 years.

The Masked Singer, she announced, had reminded her why she loved singing in the first place.

Wood had another prediction for her former bandmate, suggesting this had been a more calculated move than Monk was letting on.

“Think I’ll go one step further and predict a new single release. Coming to a radio station near you and played by her besty Jackie O first.”

The shade of it all.

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And during an interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show this morning, Monk did reveal she’d written a song with the show’s vocal coach.

And as her Masked Singer posts gained attention, Wood today shared a screenshot of a DM conversation she and Monk had back in May, after Monk was pictured in a recording studio:

Tiff today shared this DM exchange with Sophie from May 29.

A month before those messages were sent, in an April interview as part of Bardot’s three-person reunion, Wood revealed that she hadn’t spoken to Monk since Bardot’s dramatic 2002 break-up.

“Sophie … I haven’t spoken to her in 18 years. As far as I know, the answer (to reuniting) is no. I don’t know why. I think she is doing bigger and better things, maybe. I’m probably the wrong person to ask,” said Wood, who revealed she’s on better terms with Polihronas.

At around the same time, Wood didn’t hold back when responding via Instagram to a fan who asked why Monk wasn’t involved in Bardot’s reunion, writing that her refusal to acknowledge the milestone had displayed “a lack of gratitude for honouring her roots. If it weren’t for Bardot she may not be in the public eye doing what she likes now”.

But by May, Monk and Wood were interacting on social media, sharing and reposting Bardot memories together:

Sophie shared this post from Tiff, adding her own Bardot memories.

Katie Underwood, who left Bardot just a year after debut single Poison’s release, told The Morning Show in April she too had not heard from Monk in a long time.

“I left the group early, so it was just the four girls and the next thing I knew, (Sophie) moved to LA. It is just one of those things. She was away for 10 years. Then, I don’t know. Life moves on. I tried to reach out to her via social media but … it’s hard when you have 500,000 followers; she probably didn’t get my message. You know, you don’t take it personally. I certainly understand what it is like to be as busy as she must be.”

In an in-depth interview with news.com.au, Chapple opened up about the group’s repeated efforts to reunite, confirming that Polihronas had been the driving force behind two aborted full-band reunions to mark 10 and 20 years since Bardot’s formation.

“Sally has been very positive in trying to get us all back together for many years,” she said.

RELATED: Katie Underwood reveals what really went wrong in Bardot

Bardot as a four-piece shortly before their split, L-R: Tiffani Wood, Belinda Chapple, Sophie Monk and Sally Polihronas. Picture: David Caird

“We got really close to doing something as the four of us – we’d had a no from Sophie’s management – but Sally’s not interested anymore. She’s busy with family, with her two little ones.”

And filling in another part of the Bardot puzzle, Polihronas recently shared her former reunion proposal with fans on Instagram. (Honestly, if you’re not following all five former members of Bardot on Instagram, you’re missing out on a lot of great turn-of-the-century pop goss.)

Drawn up as a proposal for Warner Music in 2009, the ‘Back to Reality’ Bardot reunion would have included a reality series, new album and concert tour:

Imagine a world where this happened.

Come on ladies: It’s your 20-year anniversary this year. Longtime holdout Sophie’s “rediscovered” her love of singing. Make it happen! We can crowdfund this. Give us something to look forward to in 2020!