Sarah Harding, Girls Aloud Singer, Has Died Aged 39

Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has died at the age of 39.

According to a statement posted by the singer’s mother Marie Hardman on Sunday, Sarah “slipped away peacefully this morning”.

Marie wrote: “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.”

The statement continued: “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.”

Sarah first rose to fame as a contestant on the reality show Popstars: The Rivals, in 2022 when she, Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were chosen to form the girl band Girls Aloud.

During their 10 years in the spotlight, Girls Aloud released five studio albums, scored four UK number one singles and won a Brit Award for their hit The Promise.

When the group went their separate ways in 2013, Sarah embarked on a solo career, and also pursued acting, including a short-lived stint in Coronation Street and films like Run For Your Wife and St Trinian’s 2.

She also appeared on several reality shows including The Jump, Tumble and Celebrity Big Brother, which she won back in 2017.

After going public with her cancer diagnosis in 2012, Sarah released her autobiography Hear Me Out – named after a Girls Aloud single which she co-wrote – and released the one-off single Wear It Like A Crown, proceeds from which went to the The Christie NHS Foundation.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.