Sarah Harding has died at the age of 39 following a battle with breast cancer.
The tragic news was confirmed by the singer's mom on the star's Instagram page. In a message to her daughter's fans, Harding's mom wrote: "It’s with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away.
"Many of you will know of Sarah’s battle with cancer and that she fought so strongly from her diagnosis until her last day. She slipped away peacefully this morning.
"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."
Back in March, Harding released the book Hear Me Out, in which she detailed her battle with cancer. She wrote:
"In December my doctor told me that the upcoming Christmas would probably be my last… I’m at a stage now where I don’t know how many months I have left.
"I don’t want to feel like I have to spend whatever time I have left hiding away. I think what I’d really like to do is to see everyone – all my friends, all together. One last time... a way to say thank you and goodbye."
Harding was perhaps best known for being one-fifth of the pop group Girls Aloud, alongside bandmates Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh.
The band first formed back in 2002 on the UK reality show Popstars: The Rivals - which landed them their first UK number one with 'Sound of the Underground'.
The group would go on to have three more UK number ones, with 'I'll Stand by You', 'Walk This Way', and 'The Promise' - the latter of which also landed them a Brit award for Best British Single in 2009.
Girls Aloud also boast a string of 20 consecutive singles to reach the top 10 in the UK charts.
As well as success in the singles charts, Girls Aloud also had two number one albums - Out of Control and the compilation album The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits.
Away from the band, Harding also acted in movies such as Freefall, Run for Your Wife, and St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, as well as a brief appearance in popular UK soap Coronation Street. She is also a former winner of Celebrity Big Brother.
Our thoughts are with Harding's family, friends, and fans at this time.
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