Rumours are swirling that Girls Aloud – or perhaps just Kimberley Walsh – are set to represent the United Kingdom at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The United Kingdom has developed something of a reputation for maintaining a high level of anticipation before revealing its plans for its Eurovision entry – not always with good reason.

However, the rumour mill has truly gone into overdrive over the last few days. There have been rumours reported by various sources that one of the UK’s biggest girl bands, Girls Aloud, are being lined up to fly the Union Flag in Malmö. Despite this, the group’s PR company yesterday appeared to deny the rumour on microblogging site, Twitter.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet today reported that veteran Eurovision songwriter Fredrik Kempe is to pen the UK’s entry specifically for Girls Aloud member, Kimberley Walsh. Walsh, 31, has recently taken part in Strictly Come Dancing and is due to release her debut solo album, Centre Stage, in February. Speculation has been further fuelled by the inclusion of two tracks co-written by Kempe.

Girls Aloud were formed in 2002 on Popstars: The Rivals and recently returned with a new greatest hits album following a three-year hiatus. They have been officially named the UK’s best-selling girl group of the 21st century with 4.3 million singles sold in the UK alone.

The UK has suffered mixed fortunes in Eurovision in recent years; whether or not the Girls Aloud/Kimberley Walsh rumours turn out to be unfounded remains to be seen.

BBC, the broadcaster responsible for the UK Eurovision entry, has not yet revealed anything at all about the 2013 entry or how the song and the artist going to Malmö are going to be selected. Last year the announcement was made on 1 March.