Who was Girl’s Aloud singer Sarah Harding and when did she lose her battle with breast cancer?

SARAH Harding was a much-loved singer who found fame in the early noughties.

Sadly the star died after being diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Her Girls Aloud bandmates are set to pay tribute to her on Children In Need 2024.

Born on November 17, 1981, Sarah Harding was a singer and actor who found fame in iconic pop band Girls Aloud.

She sang alongside Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, and Nicola Roberts, but the group split in 2013, just a year after they reunited for their ten year anniversary.

Sarah also had acting roles, and in 2015, the late star appeared briefly in Coronation Street in for a few episodes playing Joni – the wife of returning character Robert Preston.

She also made guest appearances on TV shows such as Tumble, Celebrity MasterChef, Dating in the Dark, and Celebrity Juice.

Away from the screens, Sarah modelled for Ultimo lingerie.

Becoming a Girls Aloud star

Sarah rose to fame in 2002, when she successfully auditioned for the ITV reality series Popstars: The Rivals.

The show was looking for two groups - a girl band and a boy band - who would then compete for the Christmas No. 1 single.

She was voted into the band by viewers, and joined Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola and Kimberley.

The fivesome went onto to call their band Girls Aloud.

The group had massive success, which included several No. 1 singles.

The band split in 2013, but in November 2023, the group announced they were reuniting to celebrate their anniversary, and also pay tribute to Sarah.

Girls Aloud went out on tour in 2024, and paid tribute to Sarah at ever concert they played.

TV and film fame

Alongside her Girls Aloud bandmates, Sarah made a cameo appearance in St. Trinian's in 2007.

After this she took on her first major acting role in 2008, appearing in the low-budget thriller Bad Day.

During a Girls Aloud's hiatus, Sarah decided to focus on her acting career.

"Singing was always my main ambition, but acting was something else I wanted to achieve," she told press at the time.

Sarah appeared in Freefall, which aired on BBC Two in July 2009.

She portrayed Sam, the beautician girlfriend of Dominic Cooper's character.

Later that same year, Sarah returned to the St. Trinian's franchise with a starring role in the movie's sequel.

Despite her age at the time, she portrayed teenage rebel Roxy, a new student at the naughty boarding school.

In December 2009, Sarah appeared on MTV's Sarah Harding in 24 Hours.

In 2013, she starred alongside Danny Dyer and Denise Van Outen in Run For Your Wife.

In 2017, Sarah won Celebrity Big Brother.

Breast cancer battle

On August 26, 2020, Sarah made the heartbreaking revelation on Twitter that she had breast cancer and it had advanced to other parts of her body.

She explained that she dismissed a lump on her breast as a cyst during the pandemic, and only went to doctors when her skin began to bruise realising that something was seriously wrong.

Sarah was rushed to hospital with sepsis, as well as a failing kidney and liver - she was only saved by a medically induced coma.

She posted a photo of herself from her hospital bed and said she is "fighting as hard as I possibly can" and tweeted: "Earlier this year I was diagnosed with breast cancer and a couple of weeks ago I received the devastating news that the cancer has advanced to other parts of my body.

"I’m currently undergoing weekly chemotherapy sessions and I am fighting as hard as I possibly can."

Sad death

On September 5, 2023, Sarah's mum, Marie, posted on Instagram to reveal that her daughter had passed away.

Paying tribute to the singer, her devastated mother wrote: "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."