7:56 am, October 17, 2021
She once enjoyed global fame and wealth as one half of the Cheeky Girls. Now Gabriela Irimia has been revealed to be working as a car saleswoman in York.
The 38-year-old – who was also briefly engaged to former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik – has been taken on as a sales executive by Minstergate Hyundai, which sells new and used cars.
And according to The Sun, she has her sights firmly set on her own showroom.
Irimia, pictured left, and her twin sister Monica, right, had hits such as Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum), which was written by their mother in 30 minutes and shot to number 2 in the UK charts in 2002, as well as Take Your Shoes Off, which reached number 3 the same year.
However, fame and fortune for the Romanian duo didn’t last long, and in 2006 it was reported that they were facing bankruptcy because they were owed millions by their record company while in turn owing thousands in taxes plus other unpaid bills.
Irimia told The Sun that she wanted to ‘learn the ropes’ of car sales and then run her own dealership.
‘I love selling cars. If I sell a good one it feels like I’ve won the lottery,’ she was quoted as saying.
‘Let me ask you this: can you be a Cheeky Girl when you’re 60? She needs to have a business and realises that girl fashion is now cars. Women are changing their cars every year.’
Famously described by record producer Pete Waterman as the worst act he’d ever seen when they appeared on audition show Popstars: The Rivals, the Cheeky Girls were nonetheless adored by the public and their debut song Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) ended up shifting 1.2m copies globally.
Dealership image via Google Street View
