Sarah Harding's incredible life as Girls Aloud top the charts with emotional tribute

Mega-star Sarah Harding achieved more than her wildest dreams over the course of her show-stopping career.

The Ascot-born superstar was known for her impressive vocals and quick wit since finding fame in 2002 as part of the chart-mauling group Girls Aloud and she never shied away from pushing herself. Throughout her life, Sarah was never afraid to venture away from singing, which she always admitted was her first love.

Having moved from Berkshire to Hazel Grove, Manchester, with her mum and two brothers, the star cemented herself as one of the North West's best experts and always remained true to her northern routes. Many will remember Harding, who was born Sarah Nicole Hardman, for her Manchester accent which never faded despite her ever-growing success and global travels.

Tragically, Sarah died aged 39 in 2021 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. On what would have been her 43rd birthday, Girls Aloud are back at the top of the iTunes chart with their single, I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version). The single, which was originally released in 2004 as the official Children In Need track returned to the charts, with Sarah taking lead vocals as her bandmates, Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts duetting on the chorus with her.

Early life

Although Sarah was known for her northern flair, the singer, actress and fashion designer was actually born in Ascot and lived there until she was 14 when her parents, Marie, and John, separated. Upon their separation, Sarah, her mum and brothers headed to Manchester, where she studied hair and beauty.

However, this was never Sarah's real passion, which she later made full-time after a series of jobs, including working as a debt collector. She went on tour in the North West, performing in clubs, pubs and caravan parks impressing thousands with her vocals.

But as she looked at furthering her career, Sarah started recording dance music before making a decision that would change the course of her life...

Popstars: The Rivals

Never one to shy away from music, Sarah set her sights on becoming the next big pop star when Popstars: The Rivals announced auditions. Heading to The Lowry Hotel in Salford, Sarah impressed judges Pete Waterman, Geri Halliwell-Horner and her future manager, Louis Walsh.

Sarah showcased her impressive skills by performing Bananarama's Last Thing On My Mind, before sailing through to the next round. Week after week, she proved to be one of the best singers in the competition before eventually securing a spot in Girls Aloud, alongside Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle and Kimberley Walsh – with Javine Hylton being sent home.

Girls Aloud went head to head with boyband One True Voice as they battled to bag the Christmas Number One of 2002. However, only one group came out victorious – Girls Aloud with their debut hit Sound Of The Underground. The track still holds the record for the shortest time between being produced and hitting Number One on the Official UK Charts.

Girls Aloud

Just two years after the Spice Girls split up, there was a gap in the market for another huge girl group and Girls Aloud certainly made the most of it. Sarah's face, along with her bandmates', went on to be plastered across the country along with promotional material for their forthcoming single, No Good Advice, and their debut album, Sound of The Underground (2003).

Girls Aloud instantly became the hottest group on the scene, with sell-out tours year after year, with fans up and down the country snapping up tickets instantly. The group went on to crack countries across Europe, Asia and even Australia which was documented on their various television shows, including Girls Aloud: Off The Record.

While many groups fail to last, Girls Aloud appeared to be made of something as they went on to smash various records over the course of their tenure. The quintet racked up hundreds of awards in their 11-year chart reign – with one holding a special place in Sarah's heart.

In 2009 the group found themselves being nominated at the BRIT Awards for the fourth time. This time, they were up for Best British Single with their 2008 smash, The Promise. To their surprise, they bagged the award, leaving the girls speechless – but Sarah, who was known for being outspoken, found the words to thank fans and industry bosses.

After grabbing the microphone from Kimberley, Sarah yelled: "It's about time!", which went down in history amongst fans of the group before they went on to celebrate. But there was once a time when Girls Aloud believed their career would be over – and it wasn't due to wearing tinfoil outfits in the video for No Good Advice.

Sarah and the girls believed that releasing their biggest hit, Love Machine would be "career suicide" – but they were proven wrong. Over their 11 years together, they amassed 21 top-ten singles, four number-one singles and four platinum-selling studio albums – as well as performing at Wembley Stadium.

In the UK alone, Girls Aloud have sold over 4.3 million singles and 4 million albums. Meanwhile, in the United States, where they didn't promote their work, they have sold 79,000 singles. Once described as "pop royalty", Bono made it no secret that he was a fan, once saying: "I think Girls Aloud are at the cutting edge of pop music. They are a great band and they deserve to be centre stage."

After forming in 2002, the girls announced their split online in the early hours of March 20, 2013, following their final show at Liverpool's then-Echo Arena. A post read: "We have now come to the end of our incredible time together." They elaborated in another share: "Dear Alouders, we just want to say from the bottom of our hearts Thank you!! This tour has been an amazing experience and the perfect chance to say thank you for being on this journey with us through a decade.

"It has far exceeded any of our dreams and we hope we are forever your inspiration and reminder that dreams really do glitter!! Your love and support will stay with us forever but we have now come to the end of our incredible time together. Love you lots."

Earlier this year, the band reunited as a quartet and headed out on the biggest-selling tour across the UK for 2024. Her memory was kept very much alive on their tour, The Girls Aloud Show, with her iconic "Take a walk on the wild side of life," from Something New being played across the arenas. As the band wrapped up their performance, a huge screen appeared on stage during The Promise, allowing Sarah to shine once again as she belted out: "So here I am, a walking primrose, wondering when I'm gonna see you again," as fans and the band cheered for the late star. Moments before the four girls walked off stage, a photograph of Sarah appeared behind them alongside the text: "In loving memory of Sarah Nicole Harding. 17.11.81 05.09.2021."

Following the sold-out tour, while they have stated they have no plans to create any music together, I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version) was announced in her honour. The girls said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "This year marks the 20th anniversary of our @BBCCiN single 'I'll Stand By You'. To celebrate and honour our amazing Sarah, we're releasing a brand-new studio version of the track once again in support of @BBCCiN. "'I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version)' features Sarah on lead vocal throughout using vocals we discovered in the vault from the original recording sessions. The track played a key part in our 'The Girls Aloud Show' arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all."

Solo career

Following the split of Girls Aloud, Sarah started working on her solo material that she had planned in March 2010 while they were on a hiatus. The late singer announced her debut album would be released in the fourth quarter of 2013 – before this was pushed back to 2014.

Sadly, her album was never released. But, she did continue to dip her toes in music, with her debut EP, Threads, being released in August 2015. The singer performed her solo hits and Girls Aloud tracks at a sell-out show at London's O2 Islington. But in the same year, she released her first solo track, Threads, much to the delight of her fans. Sarah travelled across the four corners of the Kingdom to perform her song and meet fans.

Then, in the midst of her cancer battle, she came across a previously unreleased song, Wear It Like a Crown, which she once again fell in love with. Upon its release, it instantly topped the iTunes charts.

Hardcore Harding, as she was nicknamed, released the song with all profits being donated to The Christie in Manchester, where she was treated for breast cancer.

Acting success and dream role

Harding made her love of acting no secret and while on hiatus from Girls Aloud, she found herself auditioning for the movie St. Trinian's. Sarah landed the part of schoolgirl Roxy who was a singer in the school band, with her former bandmates also making a cameo appearance.

But it didn't stop there – Sarah went on to land roles in the likes of Run for Your Wife alongside hardman Danny Dyer as well as an appearance in the BBC movie, Freefall. But this wasn't enough for Sarah who had one role in particular on her mind.

Keeping to her northern routes, Sarah landed a spot on ITV's Coronation Street. Her character certainly entered the soap with a huge bang as Robert Preston's furious wife, Joni. In one scene, she slapped loud mouth Tracy Barlow across the face.

Although she was initially contracted for just four episodes, Sarah admitted she would leave her future on the soap in the hands of fans and bosses. She said: "To do a soap, your favourite soap, a cameo in it, in your home town it's just the best feeling and I'm just really overwhelmed by the positivity and the support everyone's given me."

Secret career

No stranger to keeping busy, Sarah never sat still. While she took some time out of work, she launched a successful brand, named after her beloved French Bulldog, Yogi.

Yogi Snaps, which launched in 2013, saw the hitmaker design a collection of headwear for her doting fans which included caps and woolly hats for the cold winter days – all approved by her four-legged friends. Each collection for the brand sold out within minutes as fans demanded more.

Accounts for the now dormant company show just how successful Yogi Snap was, with Sarah and her ex-boyfriend, DJ and producer Mark Foster raking in £15,000 from sales in just a matter of months.

Cancer diagnosis

Sarah's fans were left heartbroken on August 26, 2020, when she made an unexpected return to social media after two years. Sharing a snap of herself taken in hospital, Sarah announced that earlier that year she had been diagnosed with breast cancer while going on to share the devastating news it had advanced to other parts of her body.

But, in true Hardcore Harding spirit, she went on to fight the condition and at times, remained extremely positive. In March 2021, Sarah's tumour had reduced in size and she was feeling hopeful about her treatment.

But, tragically, she had revealed that she expected Christmas of that year to be her last. She made the decision, while undergoing treatment to share her life story in her memoir, Hear Me Out, in a bid to share her side of the stories that people had sold about her over the course of her life.

A mastectomy and various rounds of treatment, including chemotherapy, failed to stop the cruel disease.

Heartbreakingly, just 53 weeks after Sharing her diagnosis, and two months before her 40th birthday, the singer died aged 39, surrounded by her family at home in Manchester. Her mum, Marie, took to social media to share that Sarah had "slipped away peacefully" on September 5, 2021.

A statement from Marie read: "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 that 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 bright shining star and I hope that’s how she can be remembered instead. - Marie x".

Legacy

Since her death, Sarah's former bandmates have raised over £1.2million in aid of The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, in partnership with The Christie Charity. Earlier this year, the Mirror revealed that Sarah's death could save thousands of lives.

If a study launched in Sarah's memory is successful, says her oncologist Dr Sacha Howell, it could be rolled out nationwide. Pop-up clinics in handy spots such as supermarket car parks would offer women DNA testing and low-dose mammograms. Unlike regular mammograms, which look for tumours, these examine breast density, believed to identify those at higher risk of breast cancer.

Dr Howell hopes to eventually invite all women aged 30 to 39 for screening. Breast cancer is the most common cause of death for women in their 30s, and more than 2,300 aged 39 or under are diagnosed each year. However, mammograms are only routinely offered on the NHS to over 50s, while the current approach of looking at family history only helps predict one in three cases. Dr Howell's initial study – the first into young women's risks – will recruit 1,000 subjects aged 30-39 for low-level mammograms and saliva DNA analysis. The NHS trial aims to establish whether the density of breast tissue plays a part in the risk of younger women getting the disease, as it does in older women.

This year, Girls Aloud reunited for their 20th anniversary and to celebrate Sarah. Throughout the concert, Sarah's memory was kept very much alive, with her iconic "Take a walk on the wild side of life," from Something New being played across the arenas. As the band wrapped up their performance, a huge screen appeared on stage during The Promise, allowing Sarah to shine once again as she belted out: "So here I am, a walking primrose, wondering when I'm gonna see you again," as fans and the band cheered for the late star. Moments before the four girls walked off stage, a photograph of Sarah appeared behind them alongside the text: "In loving memory of Sarah Nicole Harding. 17.11.81 05.09.2021."

If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support. The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.

Follow Mirror Celebs onSnapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.