Inside Girls Aloud’s emotional tribute to Sarah Harding

They were left heartbroken by the death of their bandmate Sarah Harding almost three years ago.

But as Girls Aloud performed together for the first time since she died of breast cancer aged 39, they made sure that Sarah still had a starring role.

Thanks to technology, images of Sarah were beamed on to a screen behind them – and together they all sang their cover of I’ll Stand By You, which became their second number one, in 2004.

Sarah’s vocals were used and Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh sang along with her.

As they began, Nadine said: ‘We’re going to do a duet with Sarah tonight. It’s going to be us, Sarah, you. Let’s do this together.’ That prompted tears from many among the sell-out audience at Dublin’s 3Arena on Friday evening. 

Girls Aloud performed together for the first time since she died of breast cancer aged 39, they made sure that Sarah still had a starring role

Sources say that after the concert, there were ‘tears shed’ by the band. Pictured, the concert in Dublin

Sarah died in September 2021, just over a year after she revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Pictured, Sarah Harding on The X Factor, 2008

It was the first night of Girls Aloud’s 30-night reunion tour across the UK and Ireland, which they want to dedicate to Sarah.

So keen were they to get the tone right, they visited her mother Marie Hardman at her home near Manchester to receive her blessing.

The band wanted to ensure that Ms Hardman ‘had a say’ in what they would be doing and that she was happy with how they presented her daughter.

Sources say that after the concert, there were ‘tears shed’ by the band.

Sarah, who was known as Girls Aloud’s ‘party animal’, which led to her being nicknamed Hardcore, was never far from her bandmates as the concert went on.

At the beginning of the gig, footage of Sarah was displayed on a pink curtain as the band sang their 2008 hit Untouchable.

They later sang Whole Lotta History, which was dedicated to Sarah as one of her favourites from their back catalogue.

Nicola told the audience: ‘When we recorded this next song 19 years ago, we had no idea 19 years later it would become so poignant on our journey.’

Black and white footage of Sarah singing was then shown, followed by an emotional montage dedicated to her which read: ‘The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.’

Sarah’s vocals were used and Nadine Coyle , Cheryl Tweedy , Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh sang along with her

Girls Aloud won with their single Sound Of The Underground and they went on to have three more number ones and 20 top ten hits

A band insider told The Mail on Sunday: ‘So much effort and consideration went into making sure that Sarah’s part was done perfectly – which it was.’

Sarah died in September 2021, just over a year after she revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, which had spread to other parts of her body.

Her bandmates were distraught but it brought them back together after they had split in 2013 when Nadine suffered a career crisis following the flop of a solo album while Cheryl’s status soared, after she became an X Factor judge.

Nadine said she didn’t want to break up but was ‘blindsided’ by the other four girls.

The group catapuled to fame in 2002 when they took part in ITV reality show Popstars: The Rivals.

They competed for a place in a girl band and were then pitted against a boy band from the show named One True Voice in the hope that their song would become the Christmas number one.

Girls Aloud won with their single Sound Of The Underground and they went on to have three more number ones and 20 top ten hits.

Sarah also won Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.