Iconic noughties pop sensation The Cheeky Girls have reportedly swapped the stage for the showroom, having temporarily “hung up their hotpants”, and are now working at car dealerships. The Romanian twin sisters, Gabriela and Monica Irimia, burst onto the scene in the early 2000s with a string of top ten bangers, including the unforgettable Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum).

After first capturing the public’s imagination on Popstars: The Rivals back in 2002, the sisters have shifted millions of records worldwide. Throughout the years, they’ve cemented themselves as household names, something Monica says they’re especially “proud” of. For now, though, they’ve “hung up their hotpants”, partly because of day jobs that couldn’t be further removed from their pop star past.

The duo, now 43, are currently “toiling away” as “salespeople at Audi dealerships”, Closer magazine reports. Speaking to the publication, the twins revealed: “Having two so radically different jobs is amazing. It’s like having two identities, and we love that.”

The sisters’ venture into motor retail came to light in a 2021 report, which disclosed that Gabriela had begun working as a salesperson at a Hyundai dealership in York.

Monica, meanwhile, although in the same line of work, secured a position at a different Hyundai dealership in Lincolnshire. She told  The Sun on Sunday they required a “solid business” for their future, highlighting how the car industry would “always be good business”.

Monica explained: “Being an entertainer is fantastic, but like it was with Covid, if you don’t have a solid job or business, how do you survive? Gigs all disappeared for two years during Covid, but we didn’t stop making money.”

She continued: “Sometimes we only sleep two-three hours to do the gigs and get to work, but it’s worth it.”

Gabriela revealed she was equally enthusiastic about her new venture, hinting at the time that the duo might eventually launch their own dealership, with punters reportedly giving them “glowing” feedback.

She said the twins are “busy bees” and, in time, they would invest in their own dealership, explaining how she loves both driving and cars and dubbing it a “passion for me”.

Their mother, Margit, appeared fully supportive of the car sales enterprise, pointing out that the twins couldn’t remain Cheeky Girls forever and needed to “have a business”.

She remarked: “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.”

Despite being viewed as a novelty act, The Cheeky Girls have achieved notable success in the music world. Their debut single Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) climbed to number 2 in the UK charts, shifting an impressive 1.2 million copies globally.

Their other releases include Take Your Shoes Off, (Hooray, Hooray) It’s a Cheeky Holiday! and Have a Cheeky Christmas.