Girls Aloud stars Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts have opened up about their grief nearly a year on from the loss of their bandmate and friend Sarah Harding. The singer died aged 39 in September last year after revealing that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which had spread to other parts of her body.
Her former bandmates are set to come together in her memory and take part in a Race for Life. Cheryl was the first to confirm the news last month that she will be taking part alongside Kimberley, Nicola and Nadine Coyle. Taking to Instagram, Cheryl said in a video on her Instagram Story: "Around this time last year when Sarah was really sick, we were desperately trying to find way to help and comfort her.
"You feel so helpless at times like that. One of the only things she really wanted was a gala dinner. While that's underway and we are doing that, we felt like we could be doing more. We've decided to do Race for Life for Sarah at Hyde Park on 24th July."
The former girl band will be taking part in a 5km event this Sunday (July 24) in London, named the Race For Life For Sarah, which aims to celebrate Harding’s life as well as raise money for breast cancer. Speaking on Tuesday (July 19) on BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Kimberley and Nicola reflected on the "daily challenge" of grieving the loss of their friend.
Kimberle, 40, said: "It’s crazy to me to think that it’s almost been a year. In September, it’s coming up to a year. It’s a daily challenge, let’s put it that way, and I think it throws you at the times that you don’t expect it." The singer, presenter and theatre star admitted that at times a song or plate of food will make her emotional.
But she added that she does find comfort in them as she does not want to lose these memories of Sarah. Nicola agreed that her ex-bandmate’s death is "still a shock” to the group, saying: "You kind of go back to when it was the five of us and never in your wildest nightmares could you ever have imagined that it would have gone this way."
The girl band were formed on TV show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 and went on to produce hit tracks such as Sound Of The Underground and The Promise. They have previously said they did not feel comfortable celebrating the group’s 20th anniversary following Sarah's death, but Nicola noted the charity run was a good place for them to come together.
She said: "I think for us, we really felt so uncomfortable to do anything in terms of a performance or an event in that way without her, that just doesn’t feel OK to us, and so this was the perfect opportunity for everybody to come together for Sarah, so it is in her memory, which she wanted us to do."
Nicola will run alongside Cheryl and Nadine in Hyde Park while Kimberley will take part remotely as she explained she is out of London over the weekend. She said that raising money for cancer research was one of Harding’s final wishes and she feels this is "going to be a really special moment" for the group.
She added: "I’m kind of looking forward to feeling a little bit closer to her in that moment. I know that sounds strange but there are these moments that happen still where I suddenly just feel close to her again and I just love that and I cherish those moments."
Nadine revealed plans for the group to get back together. While Girls Aloud, who shot to fame in 2002 after winning Popstars: The Rivals, won't be back in the studio or on stage, she confirmed they'd be reuniting for a much greater cause. "We’re planning a night for an event to raise money in honour of Sarah [Harding]," Nadine, 36, told OK! last month "She’s very much in the forefront of our minds."
The girls shared their own tributes in the days following Sarah's death last year. Sarah's mother Marie announced her daughter's death on Instagram, describing her "beautiful" daughter as "a bright shining star".
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