In an emotional interview last week, Cheryl recalled the moment she discovered her bandmate Sarah Harding’s cancer was terminal, confessing, “The helplessness was overwhelming.”
Girls Aloud star Sarah died from breast cancer in September last year, aged 39, and now Cheryl, along with the other band members – Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle – are planning to run Race For Life and organising a gala in Sarah’s memory.
In the new interview, Cheryl, 39, revealed she’d asked her friend if there was anything she could do to make her happy or comfortable.
The singer said, “Towards the end, she asked me to create a gala in her honour to fund a crucial study that her doctor was working on, so I am committed to doing just that.”
Cheryl described Sarah as an “integral part of us all”, and said the girls reuniting for the race was the “most natural thing to do” to support others who may be going through the same experience.
Sarah went public with her diagnosis in August 2020, revealing the cancer had advanced to other parts of her body. Seven months later, she stated that the disease was terminal and she didn’t expect to make another Christmas.
Nadine explained how Sarah was passionate about helping others who had been dealt the same cards as her. “She really wanted to do some fundraising herself, but sadly just wasn’t well enough, so we promised her we would do it for her. She’d have loved the Race For Life. We know for sure she will be there with us in spirit on 24 July in Hyde Park.”
Kimberley, who will be absent from the run due to her pre-booked holiday for her mum’s 70th birthday, has vowed to take part virtually and will be there in spirit via FaceTime. Meanwhile, Nicola – a keen 5k runner – joked that she might “have to keep at the pace” of Cheryl and Nadine, who would prefer to walk.
A gala dinner is planned for later this year at Sarah’s request, with more details to come.
In March 2021, six months before her death, Sarah released her memoir Hear Me Out, in which she revealed a secret Girls Aloud getaway to Soho House – their last meeting as a fivesome.
“We decided to watch all the episodes of Girls Aloud: Off the Record, which was the documentary-style, behind-the-scenes TV show we’d made for E4 in 2006. We were all so different then. There was a sort of sweet naivety about us,” she wrote.
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