Sarah Harding has revealed she was in “denial” about the pain in her body before discovering she had breast cancer.
And the Girls Aloud singer has admitted she nearly died in hospital with sepsis before she started chemotherapy.
Sarah was in agony before reluctantly seeking urgent medical help, initially having dismissed the pain as a cyst.
But the 39-year-old soon realised something was seriously wrong, according to revelations in her new book Hear Me Out.
She would later be given the devastating diagnosis she had advanced stage breast cancer.
“One day I woke up realising I’d been in denial,” admitted Sarah, in exclusive extracts from her book published in The Times.
“Yes, there was a [coronavirus] pandemic but it was almost as if I’d been using that as an excuse not to face up to the fact that something was very wrong.
“At first I thought it was just a cyst. I’d been playing my guitar a lot, and I thought the strap had probably irritated an area around my breast.
The Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding shares a photo from her hospital bed (Image: @SarahNHarding/Twitter)
“The trouble was, the pain was getting worse. It got so bad that I couldn’t sleep in a bed any more.
“I slept on the sofa, popping painkillers like they were Smarties. I really overdid it, but the pain was overwhelming. Eventually, my skin started to bruise, and by now I was terrified.
“Writing about my cancer, I found myself thinking, ‘Do I want everyone to know this?’
“But I kept thinking that if there was a chance just one person who read my story decided to get checked and was treated in time, then it was worth it.”
And Brit-award winner Sarah admitted her health went from bad to worse when she was rushed to intensive care after having a port fitted in her chest.
That led to her developing sepsis and coming close to death.
Sarah is battling advanced stage breast cancer (Image: Getty Images)
“With both my lungs and kidneys failing, doctors decided to put me into an induced coma,” wrote Sarah, who found success in one of the most successful girl bands in British Pop history.
“Even once I was off the ventilator I couldn’t speak properly. All I could do was make noises like a chimpanzee trying to communicate.”
Thankfully Sarah recovered from sepsis and was able to have a mastectomy – and the she could finally start chemo to help treat her illness.
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But her cancer has since advanced and she has move in with her mother, Marie.
Marie was by her bedside when Sarah cried her eyes out after her mastectomy operation – and has been a rock of support throughout the frightening ordeal.
Sarah found fame in hit girls band Girls Aloud (Image: WireImage)
“Nothing is certain any more,” she says. “I’m just grateful to wake up every day and live my best life, because now I know just how precious it is.”
Girls Aloud bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, 37, Nadine Coyle, 35, and Kimberley Walsh, 39, have also been giving Sarah much-needed support through arguably the toughest battle of her life.
Sarah broke the news about her tragic breast cancer diagnosis last August in an emotional Instagram post.
She wrote: “I am fighting as hard as I can, but there’s no easy way to say this and actually it doesn’t even feel real writing this, but here goes.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
