Sarah Harding

Sarah Nicole Hardman (17 November 1981 – 5 September 2021), known professionally as Sarah Harding, was an English singer, model, and actress. She gained prominence in 2002 after auditioning for the ITV reality series Popstars: The Rivals, where she won a place in the girl group Girls Aloud. The group achieved twenty consecutive top ten singles in the United Kingdom, six platinum-certified albums, and five BRIT Award nominations, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".

Harding was born in Ascot, Berkshire, and attended St Cuthbert's Primary School until 1993. Following her parents' separation when she was 14, she moved to Stockport and changed her surname to Harding. She attended Hazel Grove High School and later studied hair and beauty at Stockport College. Prior to her musical career, Harding held jobs as a nightclub promoter, waitress at Pizza Hut, van driver, debt collector, and BT telephone operator, while also performing at pubs, social clubs, and caravan parks.

After successfully auditioning for Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, Harding joined Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh to form Girls Aloud. Their debut single, "Sound of the Underground," reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. The group accumulated multiple chart-topping albums, including The Sound of Girls Aloud and Out of Control, and earned accolades such as being named the UK's biggest-selling girl group of the 21st century and recognition in Guinness World Records.

During and following her time with Girls Aloud, Harding ventured into modeling and acting. In 2006, she signed a £100,000 modeling contract with Ultimo lingerie. Her acting roles included appearances in the low-budget thriller Bad Day, the BBC television film Freefall, Run for Your Wife, and the films St Trinian's and St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, for which she recorded three solo soundtrack songs. She also appeared in the soap opera Coronation Street in 2015 and participated in reality series such as Tumble, Celebrity MasterChef, and Celebrity Big Brother 20, which she won in 2017.

Girls Aloud took a hiatus in 2009, reunited in 2012 for their tenth anniversary, and disbanded in 2013 following their final tour. Harding released her debut solo single and extended play record, Threads, in 2015. In March 2021, she published her memoir, Hear Me Out, and released her final single, "Wear It Like a Crown," with profits going to charity. Posthumously, Girls Aloud released "I'll Stand By You (Sarah's Version)" in November 2024 featuring her unreleased lead vocals.

Throughout her life, Harding was in notable relationships with figures including Calum Best, DJ Tom Crane, DJ Mark Foster, and Chad Johnson. In October 2011, she spent time in a South African rehabilitation centre for alcohol dependence and depression. In August 2020, Harding announced she had been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. She revealed her condition was terminal in March 2021 and died from complications of the disease on 5 September 2021, at the age of 39.