Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding has died aged 39

She had been battling breast cancer since December 2019.

In sad news today, former Girls Aloud singer, Sarah Harding, has died.

Aged just 39 years old, her mum has shared on social media that she passed away yesterday morning.

Sarah first told fans that she'd been battling breast cancer in an Instagram post last August.

Describing her daughter as a 'beautiful.. bright, shining star', her mother, Marie, shared her 'deep heartbreak' and thanked everyone for their support.

Discovering a lump shortly before the first lockdown, Harding was originally informed by medical professionals that she wouldn't make it to Christmas 2020.

Two of her former bandmates, Nadine Coyle and Nicola Roberts, shared their condolences on social media.

Alongside photos of the pair together, Nicola said: "I can't accept that this day has come. My heart is aching and all day everything we went through together has raced round my mind... a part of me or us isn't here anymore and it's unthinkable and painful and utterly cruel."

Nadine wrote on Instagram: "I am absolutely devastated. I can't think of words that could possibly express how I feel about this girl and what she means to me."

To announce the tragic news, Sarah's mother shared: "It's with deep heartbreak that today I'm sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away."

"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."

Writing candidly in Hear Me Out, her autobiography, Sarah explains how she first found a lump in December 2019 but put off going to the doctors as a result of the Coronavirus lockdown.

She wrote: "Coronavirus hit and everything either went into slow motion or stopped altogether."

Sadly, her health only deteriorated. "One day I woke up realising that I'd been in denial about the whole thing. Yes, there was a lockdown, yes, there was a pandemic, but it was almost as if I'd been using that as an excuse not to face up to the fact that something was very wrong."

Geri Horner, a former Spice Girl and judge on Popstars, the talent show which made Sarah famous, shared on Twitter: "Rest in peace, Sarah Harding. You'll be remembered for the light and joy you brought to the world."

Our thoughts are with Sarah's family and friends at this sad time.