Sarah Harding rose to fame in 2002 on smash hit series Popstars: The Rivals and Brits across the nation instantly fell in love with the bubbly blonde.
Alongside fellow singers Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, Sarah formed one fifth of best-selling girl band, Girls Aloud.
The girls released numerous chart-topping singles as Sarah launched a career that would lead to superstardom.
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The beautiful star has said it was one of the best times of her life, telling OK! in 2017: “I love reminiscing and looking at old tour footage because we were in a bubble. Touring for me was probably one of my favourite parts of being in Girls Aloud.”
After taking a hiatus form the spotlight, the singer tragically informed fans that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that ultimately killed her the age of just 39.
As we celebrate what would have been her 41st birthday, let’s take a look back at her amazing life and career…
Pop Stardom
(Image: Getty Images)
With so many reality talent shows on our screens these days, it’s hard to understand how big a deal Popstars: The Rivals was.
Presented by Davina McCall and coming hot on the heels of the first Popstars contest, it was watched by millions and its hopefuls made headline news.
The bubbly blonde showcased her impressive vocal ability on the show back in 2002 when she was chosen to form Girls Aloud.
(Image: UK Press via Getty Images)
Alongside Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, Kimberly Walsh and Nadine Coyle, the girl band took off and became one of the most successful groups of all time.
Before the girls could take a breath after winning the show, they were whisked off to shoot their first music video, for Sound Of The Underground.
The song was released in December 2002 and flew into the charts, taking the Christmas No1 slot – staying at the top for four weeks.
In all, Girls Aloud went on to have 21 Top 10 singles in the UK and six Top 10 albums. They were nominated for five BRIT awards and in 2009 they won Best Single for The Promise.
Remembering that moment in her book, Sarah recalled, “Winning the BRIT for The Promise was one of the biggest moments of my life… I’m sure all the other girls will say the same.”
Love Life
(Image: FilmMagic)
In the haze of the late noughties the Girls Aloud star’s life was a blur of London parties and hell raising trips to Ibiza.
Sarah attended all the hottest clubs and parties and in 2007 she was photographed swigging from a bottle of Scotch whisky after the NME Awards in London.
She dated several eligible bachelors, including Calum Best, Hollywood actor Stephen Dorff , Mark Foster, Danny Dyer and telly presenter Steve Jones.
Calum later opened up about his 2006 romance with Sarah, describing their love as “eight months of madness”.
He said: “I was crazy, she was crazy and that’s why we hit it off from the start.
(Image: WireImage)
“Goddamn, we were going out every night, we were going nuts. She was always so adventurous and it was one mad night after another.
“It was a whirlwind, an intense, full-on, fiery relationship. But it was a good fire.”
Her most serious relationship was with her ex-finace, Tom Crane.
The star described the split as “one of the biggest mistakes of her life,” in her memoir, and revealed that she’s “never stopped blaming herself” for the downfall of their romance.
Talking about her regrets in life, Sarah explained that she ended up pushing her ex-fiancé Tom away as they endured a long distance relationship during the peak of their careers.
The singer wrote in her new book: “I’ve never stopped blaming myself. Losing him was one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but we just couldn’t seem to find a way through the impasse.”
Rehab
(Image: Getty Images)
Sarah’s party lifestyle eventually took its toll and the star checked into a rehab facility in South Africa in October 2011, following the collapse of her relationship with DJ Tom Crane.
Sarah described herself as hitting “rock bottom”.
“I was drinking to deal with my emotions after the split,” she admitted.
“I just went mental. It took a couple of weeks to sink in and I went off the rails really badly.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The star revealed that she had also been hooked on sleeping pills – with rehab helping her break her dependency.
She said: “Rehab was a depressing place to be with a lot of troubled people. I came off Zopiclone.
“It took three weeks in rehab to start sleeping normally again.”
After getting clean, the star decided to take back control of her life.
In 2014, Sarah decided to leave London’s trendy Primrose Hill in favour of the quiet life in the Buckinghamshire countryside with her beloved dogs in tow.
She said: “When I lived in London there was something going on every night of the week and you never wanted to miss out. I always wanted to be the life and soul.
“That’s not my priority any more, I’ve got five animals at home. I love animals — I think they are the best therapy ever.”
Tragic Death
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
Sarah Harding sadly died at just 39 years old after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Sarah had been out of the spotlight for some time with many fans becoming concerned for her wellbeing. The star only returned to announce the devastating news that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
The Girls Aloud singer died just weeks after revealing her illness was terminal and telling fans Christmas 2020 would probably be her last.
(Image: PA)
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Speaking at the time, she told fans: “I’m currently undergoing weekly chemotherapy sessions and I am fighting as hard as I possibly can,” she said in an Instagram post.
Sharing a photo of herself in hospital, she thanked NHS staff, her family and friends for their support, adding that she was “trying to keep positive”.
In her book titled Hear Me Out, she wrote: “…for a while, it seemed like the chemo was working”, but that a later MRI scan had revealed another tumour – “either at the base of my spine or on my brain”.
A second MRI revealed another tumour too.
“I don’t want an exact prognosis,” she said. “I don’t know why anyone would want that. Comfort and being as pain-free as possible is what’s important to me now.”
Sarah’s life has since been remembered by her fellow Girls Aloud members who have raised money for the cause and continue to celebrate her.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
