Nadine Coyle shared a sweet throwback snap with the late Sarah Harding, as she remembered her bandmate while on Girls Aloud’s reunion tour.
Nadine, Nicola Roberts, Cheryl, and Kimberley Walsh made up the iconic girl band alongside Sarah until her tragic death from breast cancer in 2021 at the age of 39.
The girl group have now reformed in honour of their 20th anniversary after splitting in 2013, and kicked off their reunion tour last month.
Last weekend saw Girls Aloud play at Newcastle Utilita Arena, and Nadine, 38, took to her Instagram to admit it was bringing up memories of Sarah.
She shared a photo of the pair backstage at the arena after finishing a concert, unwinding by lounging on a pair of sofas in the greenroom.
Nadine Coyle shared a sweet throwback snap with the late Sarah Harding , as she remembered her bandmate while on Girls Aloud ‘s reunion tour
Nadine, Nicola Roberts , Cheryl, and Kimberley Walsh made up the iconic girl band alongside Sarah until her tragic death from breast cancer in 2021 at the age of 39 (band seen in 2002)
The girl group have now reformed in honour of their 20th anniversary after splitting in 2013, and kicked off their reunion tour last month (pictured last month)
Both girls could be seen still wearing matching sequinned red dresses and sipping on warm drinks as they fell about in fits of giggles.
Captioning the touching shot, Nadine wrote: ‘This was the last time Sarah & i were in this arena together!!! This was when we finished the show & stayed laughing in our dresses!! ❤️❤️
‘We are here again tonight & thinking about this time i was lucky enough to get to spend with Sarah!!!’
She then admitted that losing her friend had given her better understanding of the need to appreciate those moments, saying: ‘When they say love like there is no tomorrow, it makes so much more sense now!! Xx ♥️❤️’.
Her followers flooded the comments with supportive messages, including her fellow bandmates Kimberley and Nicola, who wrote ‘Love this’ and shared a string of heart emojis, respectively.
It comes after Nadine became visibly emotional on the first night of their reunion tour in Dublin, as the band paid tribute to Sarah.
Their opening night had their late bandmate at its centre with a rendition of their iconic hit The Promise, which featured Sarah’s vocals as she was shown in old footage singing on the screen.
Nadine, Cheryl, Kimberley and Nicola turned around for the tribute to watch Sarah on the screen, with their backs to the audience.
Last weekend saw Girls Aloud play at Newcastle Utilita Arena, and Nadine, 38, took to her Instagram to admit it was bringing up memories of Sarah
She admitted losing her friend had given her better understanding of the need to appreciate those moments, saying: ‘When they say love like there is no tomorrow, it makes so much more sense now!!’ (pictured with Sarah in 2005)
Her followers flooded the comments with supportive messages, including her fellow bandmates Kimberley and Nicola, who wrote ‘Love this’ and shared a string of heart emojis, respectively
They then turned around after Sarah’s vocals on part of the song had finished as they carried on with the next part of the tune.
And Nadine looked particularly emotional as she turned back around, with her close pal Cheryl, 40, quickly noticing and offering a supportive hand on her back.
They then briefly held hands during the tough moment and Nicola continued with her part of the song.
Elsewhere, the band made other sweet nods to Sarah including with their hit I’ll Stand By You set to a video of Sarah and her vocals, leaving fans in tears.
Before the ballad began, Nadine told the crowd: ‘We’re going to do a duet with Sarah tonight. It’s going to be us, Sarah, you. Lets do this together.’
Sarah’s vocals then began to play as her four bandmates sang live on stage alongside their late friend.
Keeping Sarah as the focus from the start until the end of the performance, the show began with hit Untouchable which was set against a backdrop of footage of Sarah displayed on pink curtains.
Later they performed Whole Lotta History, which was also dedicated to the late star, as Nicola reflected: ‘When we recorded this next song 19 years ago, we had no idea 19 years later it would become so poignant on our journey.’
It comes after Nadine became visibly emotional on the first night of their reunion tour in Dublin, as the band paid tribute to Sarah (pictured)
Their opening night had their late bandmate at its centre with a rendition of their iconic hit The Promise, which featured Sarah’s vocals as she was shown in old footage singing on the screen
Nadine looked particularly emotional with her close pal Cheryl, 40, quickly noticing and offering a supportive hand on her back and they then held hands during the tough moment
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.’
Holding back emotion, Kimberley told the audience: ‘Standing feeling all the emotions you’re feeling. I hope you know it means as much as it means you to you.’
Cheryl added: ‘Thank you for your support through everything we went through with Sarah. It’s hard to believe but it’s such a beautiful thing to be on stage with these ladies again.’
And the foursome struggled to choke back tears at their later shows in Sarah’s hometown of Manchester, as they revealed Sarah’s mother Marie was sat in the audience.
Cheryl admitted she almost ‘burst out crying’ as they came out onto the stage as she paid tribute to both Sarah and Marie.
She told the crowd: ‘Coming to Manchester has always been an absolute pleasure. It’s a really significant evening for us tonight in many ways. Obviously, we all remember Miss Harding’s hometown is Manchester’.
‘She would have been so proud of the reception we’ve had in here tonight, thank you so much Manchester for making it special for her, and for us’.
She continued: ‘Sarah’s mam’s in here tonight and I’m sure she’s feeling all the love and energy in the room. We love you, Marie. When I come down on that podium, the energy I was hit with I could have just burst out of crying there and then’.
Elsewhere, the band made other sweet nods to Sarah including with their hit I’ll Stand By You set to a video of Sarah and her vocals, leaving fans in tears
Addressing the fans, she concluded: ‘Thank you for making it bearable, and making it a joyous occasion for us all.’
Sarah’s mum Marie was later spotted leaving the concert with a huge smile on her face after the tribute was paid to be beloved daughter.
Girls Aloud originally formed in 2002 after winning ITV’s Pop Stars: The Rivals and soon shot to fame, achieving 20 top-ten singles and five BRIT award nominations.
The group took an initial break in 2009 to pursue other projects, reuniting with new music to mark their 10th anniversary in 2012, before they split for good the following year.
When they announced the tour, Cheryl revealed they had been discussing the plans for some time but put the idea on ice when Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She said: ‘We all started talking about the possibility of doing something to celebrate Girls Aloud’s 20-year anniversary a few years ago. The anniversary seemed like an obvious thing that we would celebrate.
‘But when Sarah fell ill all priorities changed. She passed away a year before the anniversary and it just didn’t feel right, it felt too soon.’
The group said they planned to use the tour to ‘celebrate’ their late friend.
And the foursome struggled to choke back tears at their later shows in Sarah’s hometown of Manchester, as they revealed Sarah’s mother Marie was sat in the audience (Sarah and Marie pictured in 2008)
Sarah’s mum Marie was later spotted leaving the concert with a huge smile on her face after the tribute was paid to be beloved daughter (pictured)
Cheryl added: ‘But now, I think there is an energy that does makes it feel right. It’s the right time to celebrate Sarah, it’s the right time to celebrate the band and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this 21 years later. That’s a big honour in lots of ways.’
Kimberley said: ‘Over the last year, we’ve felt this outpouring of love – obviously towards Sarah, but actually towards all of us as a group.
‘And I guess it’s ignited something in all of us again. It feels like something has changed and it does feel like the right time to celebrate Sarah and the 20-year anniversary that we didn’t celebrate at the time.’
In November, the group had to add six extra dates to their UK and Ireland 2024 arena tour due to ‘unprecedented demand’ following ticket pre-sales.
Girls Aloud originally formed in 2002 after winning ITV’s Pop Stars: The Rivals and soon shot to fame, achieving 20 top-ten singles and five BRIT award nominations (pictured in 2002)
When they announced the tour, Cheryl revealed they had been discussing the plans for some time but put the idea on ice when Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer
