Sarah Harding sadly passed away on Sunday morning, after being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer last year.
The 39-year-old’s former Girls Aloud co-stars Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts have lead the tributes to the late star, admitting they are “absolutely devastated” by her death.
The popular band were formed on the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, and they were named the biggest selling girl group of the 21st century.
In 2009, the band announced they were going on a year-long hiatus, but it wasn’t until 2012 that they got back together to celebrate their 10-year anniversary.
They officially split in 2013, leaving fans across the world devastated.
But after Sarah was diagnosed with cancer last year, her former co-stars rallied around her to support her as her health declined.
In her biography ‘Hear Me Out’, which was released earlier this year, Sarah revealed she reunited with Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, and Nicola Roberts at Soho Farmhouse last year.
She wrote: “I did have my reservations and fears about the reunion get-together, though. It was going to be the first time we’d all seen one another in about eight years.”
“On the day, I arrived at Soho Farmhouse just as Nicola, Nadine and Kimberley pulled up, so actually, the reunion moment was mainly in the car park.”
“We all stayed in the same big house, and we had the most amazing Japanese dinner delivered in from Pen Yen, which is one of the beautiful restaurants within the farm.”
After reminiscing about their days in Girls Aloud, the bandmates decided to watch old episodes of their E4 docu-series Off the Record.
Sarah wrote: “We were all so different then; there was a sort of sweet naivety about us. I remember Cheryl in particular almost watching her old self through fingers over her eyes, mortified at some of her comments and antics.”
“There was a difference in how the girls were then to the sophisticated women they’d since become.”
The 39-year-old added: “Watching Off the Record provoked lots of laughing and even more cringing, but I have to say, I looked on fondly.”
Cheryl admitted she “lost it” when Sarah shared her cancer prognosis, writing: “Mostly, I try to keep my own emotions in check, but on one FaceTime call with her the other day, I couldn’t hold it in.”
“She relayed some terrible news, and I lost it and started crying… The mad thing is, it ended up with Sarah comforting me.”
Cheryl described Sarah as a “wild child” and “the complete blistering blonde package”.
She added: “That’s probably the thing I love most about Sarah; she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body.”
Kimberley Walsh also opened up about Sarah’s cancer diagnosis in an interview with OK! Magazine.
She said: “It’s made us be in contact more regularly than we would normally. As much as this is a tough time for us, it’s nice that it’s given us the drive to spend time together.”
“People think some of us are closer than others – and that’s absolutely normal. But in terms of friendship it’s so much deeper than that when you’ve gone through those experiences. Sarah knows that. She always did.”
“Hence why us girls will always be there for each other.”
