Pop quintet Girls Aloud have signed a new three album deal - ending recent rumours that they were on the verge of splitting up. The band - who were formed on the 2002 show Popstars The Rivals , will release the first of the albums in 2010. They will also perform live at the Brit Awards in London on Wednesday night. There had been much speculation recently that the girls were about to go their separate ways after several members began to pursue independent projects. Cheryl Cole is expected to launch a TV career in the US after her successful stint as a judge on the most recent series of The X Factor - which saw her score a victory with her act Alexandra Burke. Sarah Harding will star in the BBC One credit crunch drama Freefall, due on screens in March, while Kimberley Walsh is also considering an acting career. Both Cole and Walsh are joining a celebrity team setting out to climb Mount Kilimanjaro next month in aid of Comic Relief.
