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

Mega-star Sarah Harding achieved much than her wildest dreams implicit the people of her show-stopping career.

The Ascot-born superstar was known for her awesome vocals and speedy wit since uncovering fame successful 2002 arsenic portion of the chart-mauling radical Girls Aloud and she ne'er shied distant from pushing herself. Throughout her life, Sarah was ne'er acrophobic to task distant from singing, which she ever admitted was her archetypal love.

Having moved from Berkshire to Hazel Grove, Manchester, with her mum and 2 brothers, the prima cemented herself arsenic 1 of the North West's champion experts and ever remained existent to her bluish routes. Many volition retrieve Harding, who was calved Sarah Nicole Hardman, for her Manchester accent which ne'er faded contempt her ever-growing occurrence and planetary travels.

Tragically, Sarah died aged 39 successful 2021 aft she was diagnosed with bosom cancer. On what would person been her 43rd birthday, Girls Aloud are back astatine the apical of the iTunes illustration with their single, I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version). The single, which was primitively released successful 2004 arsenic the authoritative Children In Need way returned to the charts, with Sarah taking pb vocals arsenic her bandmates, Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts duetting connected the chorus with her.

Early life

Although Sarah was known for her bluish flair, the singer, histrion and manner decorator was really calved successful Ascot and lived determination until she was 14 erstwhile her parents, Marie, and John, separated. Upon their separation, Sarah, her mum and brothers headed to Manchester, wherever she studied hairsbreadth and beauty.

However, this was ne'er Sarah's existent passion, which she aboriginal made full-time aft a bid of jobs, including moving arsenic a indebtedness collector. She went connected circuit successful the North West, performing successful clubs, pubs and caravan parks impressing thousands with her vocals.

But arsenic she looked astatine furthering her career, Sarah started signaling creation euphony earlier making a determination that would alteration the people of her life...

Popstars: The Rivals

Never 1 to shy distant from music, Sarah acceptable her sights connected becoming the adjacent large popular prima erstwhile Popstars: The Rivals announced auditions. Heading to The Lowry Hotel successful Salford, Sarah impressed judges Pete Waterman, Geri Halliwell-Horner and her aboriginal manager, Louis Walsh.

Sarah showcased her awesome skills by performing Bananarama's Last Thing On My Mind, earlier sailing done to the adjacent round. Week aft week, she proved to beryllium 1 of the champion singers successful the contention earlier yet securing a spot successful Girls Aloud, alongside Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle and Kimberley Walsh – with Javine Hylton being sent home.

Girls Aloud went caput to caput with boyband One True Voice arsenic they battled to container the Christmas Number One of 2002. However, lone 1 radical came retired victorious – Girls Aloud with their debut deed Sound Of The Underground. The way inactive holds the grounds for the shortest clip betwixt being produced and hitting Number One connected the Official UK Charts.

Girls Aloud

Just 2 years aft the Spice Girls divided up, determination was a spread successful the marketplace for different immense miss radical and Girls Aloud surely made the astir of it. Sarah's face, on with her bandmates', went connected to beryllium plastered crossed the state on with promotional worldly for their forthcoming single, No Good Advice, and their debut album, Sound of The Underground (2003).

Girls Aloud instantly became the hottest radical connected the scene, with sell-out tours twelvemonth aft year, with fans up and down the state snapping up tickets instantly. The radical went connected to ace countries crossed Europe, Asia and adjacent Australia which was documented connected their assorted tv shows, including Girls Aloud: Off The Record.

While galore groups neglect to last, Girls Aloud appeared to beryllium made of thing arsenic they went connected to smash assorted records implicit the people of their tenure. The quintet racked up hundreds of awards successful their 11-year illustration reign – with 1 holding a peculiar spot successful Sarah's heart.

In 2009 the radical recovered themselves being nominated astatine the BRIT Awards for the 4th 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, recovered the words to convey fans and manufacture bosses.

After grabbing the microphone from Kimberley, Sarah yelled: "It's astir time!", which went down successful past amongst fans of the radical earlier they went connected to celebrate. But determination was erstwhile a clip erstwhile Girls Aloud believed their vocation would beryllium implicit – and it wasn't owed to wearing tinfoil outfits successful the video for No Good Advice.

Sarah and the girls believed that releasing their biggest hit, Love Machine would beryllium "career suicide" – but they were proven wrong. Over their 11 years together, they amassed 21 top-ten singles, 4 number-one singles and 4 platinum-selling workplace albums – arsenic good arsenic performing astatine Wembley Stadium.

In the UK alone, Girls Aloud person sold implicit 4.3 cardinal singles and 4 cardinal albums. Meanwhile, successful the United States, wherever they didn't beforehand their work, they person sold 79,000 singles. Once described arsenic "pop royalty", Bono made it nary concealed that helium was a fan, erstwhile saying: "I deliberation Girls Aloud are astatine the cutting borderline of popular music. They are a large set and they merit to beryllium centre stage."

After forming successful 2002, the girls announced their divided online successful the aboriginal hours of March 20, 2013, pursuing their last amusement astatine Liverpool's then-Echo Arena. A station read: "We person present travel to the extremity of our unthinkable clip together." They elaborated successful different share: "Dear Alouders, we conscionable privation to accidental from the bottommost of our hearts Thank you!! This circuit has been an astonishing acquisition and the cleanable accidental to accidental convey you for being connected this travel with america done a decade.

"It has acold exceeded immoderate of our dreams and we anticipation we are everlastingly your inspiration and reminder that dreams truly bash glitter!! Your emotion and enactment volition enactment with america everlastingly but we person present travel to the extremity of our unthinkable clip together. Love you lots."

Earlier this year, the set reunited arsenic a quartet and headed retired connected the biggest-selling circuit crossed the UK for 2024. Her representation was kept precise overmuch live connected their tour, The Girls Aloud Show, with her iconic "Take a locomotion connected the chaotic broadside of life," from Something New being played crossed the arenas. As the set wrapped up their performance, a immense surface appeared connected signifier during The Promise, allowing Sarah to radiance erstwhile again arsenic she belted out: "So present I am, a walking primrose, wondering erstwhile I'm gonna spot you again," arsenic fans and the set cheered for the precocious star. Moments earlier the 4 girls walked disconnected stage, a photograph of Sarah appeared down them alongside the text: "In loving representation of Sarah Nicole Harding. 17.11.81 05.09.2021."

Following the sold-out tour, portion they person stated they person nary plans to make immoderate euphony together, I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version) was announced successful her honour. The girls said connected X, formerly known arsenic Twitter: "This twelvemonth marks the 20th day of our @BBCCiN azygous 'I'll Stand By You'. To observe and honour our astonishing Sarah, we're releasing a brand-new workplace mentation of the way erstwhile again successful enactment of @BBCCiN. "'I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version)' features Sarah connected pb vocal passim utilizing vocals we discovered successful the vault from the archetypal signaling sessions. The way played a cardinal portion successful our 'The Girls Aloud Show' arena circuit this summertime & was an affectional infinitesimal for america all."

Solo career

Following the divided of Girls Aloud, Sarah started moving connected her solo worldly that she had planned successful March 2010 portion they were connected a hiatus. The precocious vocalist announced her debut medium would beryllium released successful the 4th fourth of 2013 – earlier this was pushed backmost to 2014.

Sadly, her medium was ne'er released. But, she did proceed to dip her toes successful music, with her debut EP, Threads, being released successful August 2015. The vocalist performed her solo hits and Girls Aloud tracks astatine a sell-out amusement astatine London's O2 Islington. But successful the aforesaid year, she released her archetypal solo track, Threads, overmuch to the delight of her fans. Sarah travelled crossed the 4 corners of the Kingdom to execute her opus and conscionable fans.

Then, successful the midst of her crab battle, she came crossed a antecedently unreleased song, Wear It Like a Crown, which she erstwhile again fell successful emotion with. Upon its release, it instantly topped the iTunes charts.

Hardcore Harding, arsenic she was nicknamed, released the opus with each profits being donated to The Christie successful Manchester, wherever she was treated for bosom cancer.

Acting occurrence and imagination role

Harding made her emotion of acting nary concealed and portion connected hiatus from Girls Aloud, she recovered herself auditioning for the movie St. Trinian's. Sarah landed the portion of schoolgirl Roxy who was a vocalist successful the schoolhouse band, with her erstwhile bandmates besides making a cameo appearance.

But it didn't halt determination – Sarah went connected to onshore roles successful the likes of Run for Your Wife alongside hardman Danny Dyer arsenic good arsenic an quality successful the BBC movie, Freefall. But this wasn't capable for Sarah who had 1 relation successful peculiar connected her mind.

Keeping to her bluish routes, Sarah landed a spot connected ITV's Coronation Street. Her quality surely entered the soap with a immense bang arsenic Robert Preston's furious wife, Joni. In 1 scene, she slapped large rima Tracy Barlow crossed the face.

Although she was initially contracted for conscionable 4 episodes, Sarah admitted she would permission her aboriginal connected the soap successful the hands of fans and bosses. She said: "To bash a soap, your favourite soap, a cameo successful it, successful your location municipality it's conscionable the champion feeling and I'm conscionable truly overwhelmed by the positivity and the enactment everyone's fixed me."

Secret career

No alien to keeping busy, Sarah ne'er sat still. While she took immoderate clip retired of work, she launched a palmy brand, named aft her beloved French Bulldog, Yogi.

Yogi Snaps, which launched successful 2013, saw the hitmaker plan a postulation of headwear for her doting fans which included caps and woolly hats for the acold wintertime days – each approved by her four-legged friends. Each postulation for the marque sold retired wrong minutes arsenic fans demanded more.

Accounts for the present dormant institution amusement conscionable however palmy Yogi Snap was, with Sarah and her ex-boyfriend, DJ and shaper Mark Foster raking successful £15,000 from income successful conscionable a substance of months.

Cancer diagnosis

Sarah's fans were near heartbroken connected August 26, 2020, erstwhile she made an unexpected instrumentality to societal media aft 2 years. Sharing a drawback of herself taken successful hospital, Sarah announced that earlier that twelvemonth she had been diagnosed with bosom crab portion going connected to stock the devastating quality it had precocious to different parts of her body.

But, successful existent Hardcore Harding spirit, she went connected to combat the information and astatine times, remained highly positive. In March 2021, Sarah's tumour had reduced successful size and she was feeling hopeful astir her treatment.

But, tragically, she had revealed that she expected Christmas of that twelvemonth to beryllium her last. She made the decision, portion undergoing attraction to stock her beingness communicative successful her memoir, Hear Me Out, successful a bid to stock her broadside of the stories that radical had sold astir her implicit the people of her life.

A mastectomy and assorted rounds of treatment, including chemotherapy, failed to halt the cruel disease.

Heartbreakingly, conscionable 53 weeks aft Sharing her diagnosis, and 2 months earlier her 40th birthday, the vocalist died aged 39, surrounded by her household astatine location successful Manchester. Her mum, Marie, took to societal media to stock that Sarah had "slipped distant peacefully" connected September 5, 2021.

A connection from Marie read: "It’s with heavy heartbreak that contiguous I’m sharing the quality that my beauteous girl Sarah has sadly passed away. Many of you volition cognize of Sarah’s conflict with crab and that she fought truthful powerfully from her diagnosis until her past day.

"She slipped distant peacefully this morning. I’d similar to convey everyone for their benignant enactment implicit the past year. It meant the world to Sarah and it gave her large spot and comfortableness to cognize she was loved. I cognize she won’t privation to beryllium remembered for her combat against this unspeakable illness – she was a agleam shining prima and I anticipation that’s however she tin beryllium remembered instead. - Marie x".

Legacy

Since her death, Sarah's erstwhile bandmates person raised implicit £1.2million successful assistance of The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, successful concern with The Christie Charity. Earlier this year, the Mirror revealed that Sarah's decease could prevention thousands of lives.

If a survey launched successful Sarah's representation is successful, says her oncologist Dr Sacha Howell, it could beryllium rolled retired nationwide. Pop-up clinics successful useful spots specified arsenic supermarket car parks would connection women DNA investigating and low-dose mammograms. Unlike regular mammograms, which look for tumours, these analyse bosom density, believed to place those astatine higher hazard of bosom cancer.

Dr Howell hopes to yet invitation each women aged 30 to 39 for screening. Breast crab is the astir communal origin of decease for women successful their 30s, and much than 2,300 aged 39 oregon nether are diagnosed each year. However, mammograms are lone routinely offered connected the NHS to implicit 50s, portion the existent attack of looking astatine household past lone helps foretell 1 successful 3 cases. Dr Howell's archetypal survey – the archetypal into young women's risks – volition enlistee 1,000 subjects aged 30-39 for low-level mammograms and saliva DNA analysis. The NHS proceedings aims to found whether the density of bosom insubstantial plays a portion successful the hazard of younger women getting the disease, arsenic it does successful older women.

This year, Girls Aloud reunited for their 20th day and to observe Sarah. Throughout the concert, Sarah's representation was kept precise overmuch alive, with her iconic "Take a locomotion connected the chaotic broadside of life," from Something New being played crossed the arenas. As the set wrapped up their performance, a immense surface appeared connected signifier during The Promise, allowing Sarah to radiance erstwhile again arsenic she belted out: "So present I am, a walking primrose, wondering erstwhile I'm gonna spot you again," arsenic fans and the set cheered for the precocious star. Moments earlier the 4 girls walked disconnected stage, a photograph of Sarah appeared down them alongside the text: "In loving representation of Sarah Nicole Harding. 17.11.81 05.09.2021."

If you person been affected by this story, proposal and enactment tin beryllium recovered astatine Breast Cancer Support. The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential enactment to radical surviving with crab and their loved ones. If you request to talk, telephone america connected 0808 808 0000.

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