Girls Aloud said they were ‘thrilled’ to share an update on the charity they launched in honour of late bandmate Sarah Harding.
The singer tragically passed away following a battle with cancer in September 2021 aged just 39, with funds raised going to help support work fighting the disease.
Cheryl, 41, Nicola Roberts, 40, Nadine Coyle, 40, and Kimberley Walsh, 42, took to Instagram to announce The Christie Hospital in Manchester had appointed a new researcher, thanks to the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal.
They said how the appointee would be spearheading ‘ambitious research programs’ to reduce breast cancer risk, all in Sarah’s name.
The statement read: ‘Hi everyone – we wanted to share a special update in honour of our Sarah today. As you know, we have continued to raise money in Sarah’s name for The Christie hospital’s groundbreaking breast cancer research’.
‘Today The Christie announce they are appointing a new full-time researcher thanks to the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, part of The Christie Charity. Dr Hannah Harrison will spearhead an ambitious research programme to reduce breast cancer risk by developing innovative prevention strategies’.
Girls Aloud said they were ‘thrilled’ to share an update on the charity they launched in honour of late bandmate Sarah Harding (pictured 2017)
(L-R) Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle, Cheryl and Nicola Roberts pictured 2024
It went on: ‘We are thrilled with the progress being made in Sarah’s name into preventing breast cancer in young women. Sarah believed in the power of progress and so to have a dedicated researcher focusing on this important work is hugely significant’.
‘This fellowship is more than research – it’s hope, it’s progress, and it’s a promise that her fight will help protect future generations of young women. Every breakthrough is a step towards a brighter future where young women can live free from the fear of breast cancer’.
Before siging off: ‘Cheryl, Kimberley, Nadine & Nicola’.
Last year Nadine vowed to ‘live her life to the fullest’ and ‘have as much fun as she can’ after losing Sarah.
She told The Mirror: ‘I just try to enjoy it, because Sarah really enjoyed life. She made the most of so many things. That’s really important.
‘You can worry about so much stuff that just becomes irrelevant. Hold the people close that you love and spend time having fun, as much as you can.’
Discussing Girls Aloud’s 2024 reunion tour, where they paid tribute to Sarah, Nadine said: ‘You could totally feel her presence, like she was right there’.
‘But when we all stood together to sing I’ll Stand By You, it was very obvious that she wasn’t. It was devastating, every single night.’
The singer tragically passed away following a battle with cancer in September 2021 aged just 39, with funds raised going to help support work fighting the disease (Sarah pictured 2015)
The band (pictured 2005) took to Instagram to announce The Christie Hospital in Manchester had appointed a new researcher, thanks to the Sarah HardingBreast Cancer Appeal
They said how the appointee would be spearheading ‘ambitious research programs’ to reduce breast cancer risk, all in Sarah’s name
The girl group performed a rendition of I’ll Stand By You set to a video of Sarah and her vocals as held hands and supported each on on stage.
Black and white footage of Sarah singing were then shown, followed by a emotional montage dedicated to the late star which read: ‘The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.’
Meanwhile, bandmate Kimberely described how ‘crazy emotional’ it was for Girls Aloud to go on the reunion tour without Sarah.
In an interview she admitted that paying tribute to Sarah night after night was ‘gut-wrenching’ and that reuniting the band without her felt ‘so emotional’.
The mother-of-three even revealed that during the rehearsals for the show the group had ‘let it all out’ so that they could be strong enough to get through the live shows.
However, she added how important they all knew it was to follow Sarah’s wishes and show how she was an integral part of the band, admitting that despite it being ‘tough’ for them, they wanted to be able to honour and remember their friend.
Speaking to The Sun, she explained: ‘She wanted us to do it. She made it clear when she was here, but equally we felt it isn’t Girls Aloud without her. She’s such a massive part of it, so we wanted to keep her part of it. We’re trying to keep her spirit alive.
The group returned to the stage for the first time in 11 years to go on a huge UK tour, where their late bandmate was kept as the focus throughout
‘There wasn’t just one moment of her, we made the whole show have a thread of her throughout. And at times we were like: “Is this actually too sad?” Because for us it felt just gut-wrenching. But then, equally, she deserved that time and for people to remember her.’
Kimberley said the end result was ‘crazy emotional’, but described hearing Sarah’s vocals in arenas as ‘epic’ and confessed celebrating their bandmate alongside the fans had ended up being a ‘cathartic’ experience for the group.
She said: ‘It’s been cathartic for all of us to have that time and to almost grieve with the fans. They’ve grown up with us. And there’s no denying that her energy was really missed on stage. But I think everybody could feel that she was still very much intertwined within the show and the band.’
Speaking to MailOnline in September, Kimberley elaborated on how painful the experience was initially.
She said: ‘Honouring Sarah was quite cathartic, it really was, as tough as the first part was, the planning – the rehearsals without her were painful.
‘But then seeing her honoured and her voice playing out in the arena again and people’s outpouring of love, seeing how happy it made her mum and all of that, it made us feel really amazing.’
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
