Roberts admits struggle to introduce boyfriend to Girls Aloud

Nicola Roberts found it hard to introduce her boyfriend to her bandmates.

The Girls Aloud singer – who has been dating 23-year-old entrepreneur Charlie Fennell for 18 months – left it for some time before initiating a meet-up because the group have such a tight "circle of trust".

She said: "We're all very protective of each other, I introduced him quite slowly. We have a circle of trust and you have to earn your place in it.

"I wouldn't ever want to bring someone in just because I was smitten; lust can glaze your eyes over and you can make poor judgments. So I had to make absolutely sure he was a good egg before I put him in their company!"

The 24-year-old star said her bandmates – Cheryl Cole, Sarah Harding, Kimberley Walsh and Nadine Coyle - bonded with her beau instantly and they even get upset if she goes out without him.

She said: "He got the seal of approval and now he's in the circle, so whenever I turn up, they ask: 'Is Charlie here?' Because he's so comfortable around them, they feel comfortable too. They look disappointed when I say no. You've got to have a big personality to cope with the force of all five of us, and Charlie's got that. He has them all laughing. He's funny."