Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has passed away at the age of 39
The 39 year old was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer last August and underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy.
Sarah rose to fame as part of the girl group Girls Aloud alongside Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh after winning Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The group went onto become one of the most successful British pop groups in music history.
Her mother announced the sad news in a statement on Instagram saying, "It's with deep heartbreak that today I'm sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away. Many of you will know of Sarah's battle with cancer and she fought so strongly from her diagnosis until her last day. She slipped away peacefully this morning. I'd like to thank everyone for their kind support over the past year. It meant the world to Sarah and it gave her great strength and comfort to know she was loved. I know she won't want to be remembered for her fight against this terrible disease - she was a bight shining star and I hope that's how she can be remembered instead - Marie x"
Sarah released her autobiography "Hear Me Out" in March 2021 in which she detailed her reasons behind going public with her illness, hoping to help others by encouraging others to go see a doctor if they were worried about anything, especially during the pandemic.
She said, "There had been so much reporting on the news about people missing out on check-ups during COVID lockdown, even though they might be worried about something," she said in the book.
"People who had left a cancer diagnosis until it might be too late. Maybe if I spoke out, as a public figure, a celebrity, it could help get the message across how important it is to get checked out if you have concerns.
"As scary as it was to go public about my diagnosis, it was the right thing to do, and the amount of support I've received is incredible. I've been inundated with lovely messages from my fans. I'm grateful beyond words for that."
