Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding dies aged 39 following breast cancer battle

The singer was diagnosed with breast cancer last year

Sarah Harding has died at the age of 39, it has been confirmed.

The Girls Aloud singer was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and tragically passed away following a short battle. Her mum Marie broke the sad news on 5 September on Instagram, writing a statement in memory of her beloved daughter. 

Marie's statement 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.

Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020

"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.”

Sarah's mum confirmed the sad news on Instagram

Sarah announced last August she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which had spread to other parts of her body. She told that due to the pandemic, she had put off going to the doctor when she first started having symptoms. 

Sarah rose to fame in the early 2000s as a contestant on ITV's. She made it to the final and was voted into the group which became Girls Aloud, alongside Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Cheryl Cole.

Sarah rose to fame after appearing on ITV's

The group went on to have more than twenty consecutive top ten singles, including and . After a short hiatus, the band returned in 2012 for the ten year anniversary and released a greatest hits album and embarked on a final UK and Ireland tour.

Following their split in 2013, Sarah went on to land several acting roles, including appearances in  and

Sarah won Celebrity Big Brother in 2017

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She also appeared on the Channel 4 reality show in 2016 but was forced to pull out after suffering a knee injury. In 2017, she won

Sarah released a memoir earlier in March of this year, titled where she revealed that she was "trying to live and enjoy every second of my life, however long it might be". In March, she landed her first-ever solo number one single with a previously unheard song she recorded ten years prior.

All profits from the single raised from the single go towards the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, where she received treatment.

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