Papers including the Sunday Mirror and the Daily Mail said sales in China, Australia, South Africa and Argentina are so poor that it’s not worth playing those territories.

According to The Mirror, the girls “pulled the plug” during a meeting with their manager Simon Fuller after looking at accountants’ figures that suggested a tour of the southern hemisphere wouldn’t be worthwhile, with fan interest not making up for the expense of heading to cities such as Beijing, Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires.

“The accountant briefed them that they would need to do around 10 nights in Buenos Aires to make the trip profitable. And there was nothing like that level of interest,” an insider reportedly told the paper.

“The show is very expensive to put on. The girls only like to travel first class and they have about 30 dancers and a lavish set. Simon Fuller is one of the best entertainment business brains on the planet and he said no. To be honest no one really expected it to carry on – no flights or hotels had been booked.”