Girls Aloud singer's legacy funds young women cancer study

A breast cancer study is under way honouring the legacy of Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding.

Harding died of breast cancer in 2021, aged 39. It was her last wish to help others in her position.

The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, founded in her honour, has funded research on the disease for women in their 30s at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, where she was treated.

Dr Hannah Harrison has been appointed as the Sarah Harding Young Women's Breast Cancer Fellow - and will be heading a new study in Harding's honour. "Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for young women and prevention is the best way to change this," she told BBC Radio Manchester. "We couldn't do this without Sarah."

Sarah was best known for her 11-year stint in chart-topping girl group, Girls Aloud.

The pop group was founded in 2002 when Harding and Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh met through the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals.

The group went on to achieve a string of top 10 hits and sold millions of albums before disbanding in 2013.

But before the world tours and global fame, Harding had lived in Stockport, Greater Manchester, where she went to school and college - and later worked as a waitress and nightclub promoter.

After she died, her family and former bandmates helped set up the appeal in her name - raising money through charity events.

Money raised by Harding's appeal has funded the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women (BCAN-RAY) study - organised by the Christie to research risk factors most commonly found in women diagnosed with breast cancer in their 30s.

Researchers hope their findings will result in all women having a risk assessment for breast cancer when they reach the age of 30. The assessment, they hope, will identify which women are most at risk.

To honour the contributions of Sarah's appeal, Dr Harrison, of the Manchester Breast Clinic, has been given a grant for new "vital research" into alternative treatment of the disease.

"The goal of the work is that we'll find a way to reduce the number of breast cancer cases and the number of lives lost - especially within this young population of women.

"I'll use this money to set up my own lab focusing on young women's breast cancer.

"Currently there's only one drug that can be used to prevent breast cancer in young women - and, while it's great, it doesn't work for everybody," she explained.

"The idea of this project funded by the Christie, and in Sarah's name, is to identify why it doesn't work for some women, and to find better options for those ladies who it doesn't help."

In a statement shared to social media, Harding's Girls Aloud bandmates said they were "thrilled" with the progress being made in her name.

The band said: "Sarah believed in the power of progress and so to have a dedicated researcher focusing on this important work is hugely significant."

Rachel Kendall, deputy chief executive of The Christie Charity, said it was "delighted" to be able to fund the Sarah Harding Young Women's Breast Cancer Fellowship opportunity.

"It's really important to share our gratitude to Sarah's family and friends and the band members, all of whom have got behind fundraising," Kendall said.

"I think Sarah's story really resonates with younger women and people who grew up, listening to Girls Aloud and knew who Sarah was and who the band are.

"That's really important - reaching those women that might be at increased risk and then making sure that we can help them."

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