Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix is "the new Cheryl Cole"
Dean Piper with Little Mix
It's just seven days since Little Mix were crowned this years X Factor winners... and already their lives have changed for ever.
But for pretty Jade Thirlwall, 19 who is now being compared to one of her biggest pop idols it has still not sunk in.
People keep telling me Im the new Cheryl Cole, she says nervously slurping orange juice with a touch of vodka.
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Thats fine by me. Cheryls an inspiration for all of us. Shes beautiful and so talented. I met her when I auditioned for the show in 2010 and she was amazing. Shes my idol.
Well, Cheryl and Beyonc are my idols. I was front row at a Beyonc gig and she touched my hand once. That was the best moment of my life.
I join the UKs newest girl band with their mentor Tulisa Contostavlos for dinner in affluent Kensington, West London.
All four girls are exhausted but seem to have a great bond. They sit happily together at one end of the table and joke with each other throughout the meal.
We have a very special surprise for Little Mix... Spice Girl Emma Bunton is joining us because she is desperate to meet them.
As Emma walks in th! ey freez e then nervously look at each other. Baby Spice comes over for a hug and starts rattling off advice.
Make sure you take photos because youre going to forget everything, says Emma, in towering Louboutin heels. Dont bitch about each other. Speak to each other face-to-face.
Since the band beat Marcus Collins in last Sundays live final they have been compared to the Spice Girls and meeting Emma has a big impact.
Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 19, tells me later: Emma told me to ignore the judges when they were talking about us needing a lead singer. She said the Spice Girls never had a lead singer and it can work well, and to stick to our guns with what we want to do.
She told me to keep a book by my bed and start writing. If I have an idea for a lyric, get up, write it down and go back to sleep.
Emma, 35, clearly cares about their future.
She says: I had to learn for myself as I went along and there was nobody giving me advice along the way so I hope what I told them made sense and was helpful.
Fellow Spice Girl Geri Halliwell also sends the girls flowers and records a pep talk video message.
Little Mix have spent the week travelling the country promoting their debut single Cannonball destined for the No 1 spot.
On Thursday they visited South Shields where Jade and Perrie Edwards, 18, could stay with their families. Jesy Nelson, 20, hit the shops, forgetting that swinging by Topshop isnt so easy now shes a household name.
I decided to go shopping with my mum in the Metro Centre in Gateshead, she says.
I literally forgot people would recognise me. We were mobbed. I actually had a security guard to help me shop. Thats the sort of thing that happens to proper stars.
Little Mix plan to get straight into the studio in the New Year to record a summer album.
Leigh-Anne explains at our dinner, thrown by Glamour editor Jo Elvin to toast Tulisas latest cover shoot for the mag: We know what we want to achieve. We want to get straight into the studio ! and make an urban and R&B pop album.
Its fine for people to be saying we can achieve what the Spice Girls achieved. But if we achieved a tenth of that we are going to be happy. We want to bring the girl power vibe back. Were all different girls. We dress differently, like different styles but come together to form a band. Theres something for everyone.
All four have split with boyfriends to focus on their careers but are not ruling out romance.
Perrie, who was linked to One Directions Zayn Malik and Andy Merry from The Risk, says: If a guy does come along then thats fine. But for now weve got a lot to do. Theres an album to record, an X Factor tour and loads to achieve. We dont have time for men. For now, its all about girl power.
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