Cancer-hit star’s fears over seeing bandmates
But she hails ‘little victory’ as scans revealed some tumours had shrunk
SARAH Harding has said she had “fears” about seeing her Girls Aloud bandmates after being diagnosed with cancer.
The singer announced in August that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in summer 2020 before finding out the cancer had advanced to other parts of her body.
She has since undergone a mastectomy and intensive chemotherapy but in a devastating update over the weekend, Sarah said that in December “my doctor told me that the upcoming Christmas would probably be my last” as the cancer spread to her spine.
But the side effects of her gruelling treatment led to “reservations” in meeting up with Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Kimberly Walsh and Nicola Roberts eight years after they were last all together.
Sarah, from Stockport, explained how the girls all planned to meet up at Soho Farmhouse in a preview excerpt from her new book Hear Me Out, which was published by Glamour on Monday.
The 39-year-old said it was “nerve-racking enough” seeing each other again after so many years, “but the fact that I felt and looked the way I did made it worse,” Sarah added.
“Going through cancer is bad enough, but the side effects of all the stuff that’s supposed to make you better can sometimes be as difficult to deal with as the disease itself.
“The steroids I’d been taking made me look bloated, and I’d lost my eyelashes due to the chemo.
“As the time for the reunion drew closer, I was picturing them all turning up looking fabulous and glamorous, while I looked... well, like I did. Not myself. Not my best.”
But her fears were soon quashed and the fivepiece girl band ended up spending the weekend reminiscing about their time in Girls Aloud.
Excerpts from Sarah’s new book, Hear Me Out, were also published by in the Times over the weekend.
The candid book was published by Ebury on Thursday and also features parts written by her fellow Girls Aloud stars.
● Sarah has said she is celebrating a ‘little victory’ after her brain and lung tumours shrunk.
In an excerpt from her book as reported by the Daily Star, the 39-year-old wrote: “Before I put this book to bed, I wanted to share a little bit of positive news.
“MRI scans at the end of December revealed that the tumours in my brain and in my lung have shrunk a bit with the treatment.”
While Sarah goes on to admit that she doesn’t know “exactly what this means”, she was happy with the direction it was going.
“Right now, every little victory feels momentous,” she said. “With this news under my belt, I was able to enjoy a relaxing quiet Christmas with mum and yes, I got plenty of lovely Christmas pressies.”