Girls Aloud Singer Sarah Harding Dead At 39 After Breast Cancer Battle

Sarah Harding, a member of the iconic group Girls Aloud, has passed away after a long battle with breast cancer.

She was just 39 years old.

The performer, who got her first big break nearly two full decades ago, passed away from the disease on Sunday, according to her mother. Writing to share the news with her family, friends, and followers on Instagram, the singer’s grieving mom Marie shared (below):

“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.”

So, so sad…

Like we mentioned, Harding first got her break in show business appearing in 2002 on the British talent show Posters: The Rivals. It was there that Girls Aloud was first formed — with Sarah being picked last of the five women in the group, heightening the drama of the memorable moment.

Just three weeks after the show ended, Girls Aloud had their first number one hit — Sound of the Underground — and the group quickly became the U.K.’s biggest girl group of the 21st century. After a long time touring together — and then a long time apart — the group reunited in 2012 for a series of anniversary shows, but broke up the following year.

In her personal life, Sarah struggled with addiction at one point, even going to rehab in 2011 and eventually getting clean. All that came about after a tailspin caused by a heartbreaking split from DJ Tom Crane, to whom she had been engaged and with whom she’d had a four-year relationship in the 2000s.

Harding’s redemption continued in 2017, when she won Celebrity Big Brother.

In 2020, she was officially diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, doctors told her it was so severe that she “would not see another Christmas,” but she fought valiantly and out-lived their expectations while beating back the disease. Sadly, her fight ended this weekend, entirely too early.

Sending our love and condolences out to her family, friends, and loved ones.

R.I.P…

[Image via Mario Mitsis/WENN]