"Abba will never reform"

from the press association

Swedish pop group Abba will never reform despite the success of the Mamma Mia stage show and film, according to two members of the band.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson said the pop sensations will never take to the stage again.

The group had hits including Dancing Queen, The Winner Takes It All and Money, Money, Money, and have sold more than 370 million records worldwide.

Ulvaeus told the newspaper: "We will never appear on stage again. There is simply no motivation to re-group. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were.

"Young, exuberant, full of energy and ambition. I remember Robert Plant saying Led Zeppelin were a cover band now because they cover all their own stuff. I think that hit the nail on the head."

Andersson said they are surprised their hits are still popular after 30 years.

However, the pair are protective of their work, and kept the power to stop the stage show and subsequent film if they were not up to scratch.

Andersson said: "You don't just give songs away to anyone to do with what they want. It could have been a disaster. But we did have the power of veto which meant we could have stopped it at any time."

Ulvaeus described star of the Mamma Mia film Meryl Streep as "a goddess".

The movie, released on Friday, also features Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth.