THEY have barely aged in 20 years and can still fit into the hotpants that turned them into overnight stars.
Now, Cheeky Girls Monica and Gabriela Irimia, who first wiggled their way into the public eye on 2002 TV show Popstars: The Rivals, have revealed their secret to defying time at 43.
Gabriela said with a laugh: “People always ask us our secret to looking good. We have a few strict rules — no eating after 7pm, exercise every day . . . and lots of sex.”
Gabriela was famously engaged to ex-Liberal Democrat MP Lembik Opik, prior to meeting partner Adam Zubek seven years ago.
She said: “I’m really happy in my life now. Lembik was a genuine guy, we had a great relationship. But there was a lot of pressure from all sides, including from his party.”
Monica married building contractor Shaun Taylor in 2016.
Their catchy Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) co-written by their mum, Hungarian former midwife Margrit, was voted the “worst pop record of all time” in a 2004 Channel 4 poll.
Yet it sold 1.2million copies worldwide, reaching No2 in the UK charts.
And bookings are hotter than ever for the twins, who also work in the motoring trade, due to the famous track taking off on social media and TikTok.
Monica, who is younger by ten minutes, said: “People ask us if we’re now ‘cheeky women’ but no, we’re still cheeky girls.
We haven’t had any work done — except our boobs and our teeth, which were a 40th birthday present to ourselves.
“We’re proof that, at 43, you can still be sexy, have two successful careers and also have fun.
‘Best of both worlds’
“We’ve performed at some of the biggest festivals, tiny gigs and at old people’s homes and student unions, and we love every minute of it.
“Our smallest gig was for three people at a hunting lodge for a multi- millionaire on a shooting weekend. Our strangest was for a room of deaf people who danced to the vibrations.”
As for those shiny silver hotpants, two years after Kylie Minogue rocked hers in Spinning Around?
Monica said: “The hotpants still fit. I think the bums have got a tiny bit bigger. We’re a little bit curvier, but in a good way.”
The hotpants still fit. I think the bums have got a tiny bit bigger. We’re a little bit curvier, but in a good way
Part of the siblings’ appeal these days is they cock a light-hearted snook at woke cancel culture.
Gabriela said: “Society is now becoming so serious. You can’t say this, you can’t do that . . . Where’s the novelty? Where’s the fun?
“But you can’t cancel us for being cheeky or you’d have to cancel Kylie Minogue and her hotpants, too.”
At the height of their fame, the girls mingled with A-list celebs and Gabriela claimed Robbie Williams once tried to charm her when they were both single.
She said: “Robbie was my teenage crush and I was privileged to meet him at an after-party for the Ant And Dec TV show.
“He chatted me up and I chatted him up. He was single, I was single. He told me, ‘You’re beautiful’. I fancied him. But it stopped there, unfortunately. Nothing happened.”
And they revealed their biggest celebrity fan was none other than heavy-metal legend Alice Cooper.
Monica said: “When we met Alice Cooper, who is our idol and an iconic artist, he said ‘Oh my god, girls. I love you!’ We were like, ‘Alice Cooper, a fan?’ That made our year.”
We’ve still got it and we are loving every moment
Now, 23 years on from their breakthrough hit, the Romanian twins both work in Audi car showrooms by day — Gabriela in York and Monica in Boston, Lincs — and insist: “There’s always a cheeky deal to be had.”
But people still sing the lyric, “We are the Cheeky Girls” at them in the supermarket or shout, “Cheeky, cheeky!” on the street.
Senior car saleswoman Gabriela said: “By day, we are suited and booted working for Audi cars, but we perform as the Cheeky Girls in hotpants by night.
“So we have the best of both worlds. We’ve still got it and we are loving every moment.”
Monica revealed that when customers come in, some do a double take, while others struggle to place how they know the pair.
She revealed: “All the time, customers say to us, ‘Do I know you from somewhere?’. We joke, ‘Do you want a cheeky deal?’.
“You see them frantically scrolling on their phones to check if it’s really us. Others say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to be cheeky, but can I have £1,000 off?’ — then you know they know!
“I’ll joke, ‘Maybe that’s a little too cheeky, but I can definitely offer you a great deal . . .’
“Both of us are petrolheads who love prestige cars, so we love our career as much as we love being pop stars.
“The only thing that could top it would be if we were invited to present Top Gear or appear on Strictly Come Dancing.”
To celebrate the release of their new song Drive, inspired by their day job, they have performed a tongue-in-cheek version of the Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum), instead singing “touch my bumper”, exclusively for Sun on Sunday readers to watch online.
The twins revealed that Love Island bosses had begged them to appear on the show — but they refused.
Gabriela said: “We did get an invitation to go to Love Island but it’s not our thing.
“We wouldn’t want to be seen having sex on camera or kissing boys. It’s tacky. If we were to go to Love Island, we’d be boring!”
We are available, 23 years on! We reckon we’d take Britain to glory again
They also insisted they will never do OnlyFans.
Gabriela said: “Twenty years ago, we did magazine covers, including FHM. We’d still be up for that. But you’ll never find us on OnlyFans. If anyone claims to be a Cheeky Girl on there, it’s not us.”
One gig the girls would love to land is Eurovision.
Louis Walsh, who was a judge on the show that shot them to fame, wanted the duo to represent Britain in the contest with a version of Baccara’s 1977 hit, Yes Sir, I Can Boogie.
Gabriela revealed: “At the time, we had the dilemma: would we represent Romania or the UK? But we’d do it now for the UK.
“So Louis, call us. We are available, 23 years on! We reckon we’d take Britain to glory again.”
‘Loss of control’
As well as the highs that come with scoring hit singles, including Take Your Shoes Off and (Hooray Hooray) It’s A Cheeky Holiday, there have been crushing lows.
It all nearly came crashing down as their record label, Telstar, collapsed — reportedly owing them more than £1million. They were declared bankrupt in 2009.
Monica recalled: “We are talking huge bills. Where do you go? What do you do?”
The pressures led them to spiral into an eating disorder. At one point, they each weighed just 6.5st.
Monica added: “It started with loss of control over everything. You feel like you want to take control of something and the only thing you can control is what you put in your mouth and do with your body.”
While both have now recovered, they are open about their battle to let other sufferers know there is hope.
Monica said: “We recovered many years ago. But we speak openly about this to raise awareness because of the pressures young people feel, particularly with social media.
“It also taught us a really important lesson — to stay positive.”
The twins both felt pressure to have boob jobs, after being sidelined for a bustier woman in their music video for Cheeky Holiday.
Gabriela’s first operation was a disaster, and she said: “My body rejected the implant. One boob was up, one boob was down.”
She has had a series of operations to correct it.
In 2017, one of her sister’s implants ruptured in two places.
But Monica said they now love their bodies, adding: “When I was in my 20s, you’re not that confident.
“I’ve now reached a stage where I feel I’m completely confident. I feel really sexy. We both feel that way.”
The twins hope to continue juggling their day jobs and singing careers.
Gabriela said: “Due to social media and TikTok, a whole new generation is coming to see us. It’s amazing.
“As long as the phone keeps ringing, the Cheeky Girls are going to be around.
“It’s worked for 23 years, we hope it will work for another 23. Who knows, we may even end up performing one day as the Cheeky Grandmas!”