Sydney, Au. (Bardot Official Website) - Bardot, the Australian equivalent of UK group Hear'Say - selected after appearing on TV show
Popstars - have split up after two and a half years together.
In a statement on their website, the all-girl group thanked their fans for their "incredible loyalty and dedication".
Sophie Monk, Belinda Chapple, Sally Polihronas and Tiffany Wood are due to play their final gig in Sydney on 2 May, a benefit concert for children suffering from anxiety and depression. Bardot's demise may heighten speculation over the future of Hear'Say, who have also been dogged with problems.
They recently lost band member Kym Marsh, who did not get on with her fellow bandmember Myleene Klass, according to the press.
Thousands auditioned to replace Marsh, and in February the band announced its new member was Johnny Shentall.
But the group hit back at claims that their auditions were "fixed" after it was revealed that Shentall, 23, is engaged to former Steps singer Lisa Scott-Lee and an ex-member of chart group Boom!
Last month, the band pulled out of a UK tour which was originally scheduled to start in September, saying it would give Shentall time to settle in.
The loss of a founder member has marked the beginning of the end for Popstars winners elsewhere in the world.
In 1999, the original Popstars programme, in New Zealand, culminated in the creation of TrueBliss, an all-female group whose debut album Dream sold more than 20,000 copies in its first three weeks of release.
A year later, Carly Binding left the band to pursue a solo career. The band finally split up just before Christmas in 2000.
The Popstars format was repeated in Australia - and the pattern played itself out again.
Bardot's debut album and single went straight to the top of the charts, but before long original member Katie Underwood had left, for an ill-fated role in the musical Hair.