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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Alan Johnson

Girls Aloud to host charity concert in Sarah Harding's memory - but won't be performing

Girls Aloud fans will be overjoyed to hear the iconic group is reuniting to host a charity gala later this week in memory of their late bandmate, Sarah Harding.

Sarah passed away in September last year at the age of just 39 from breast cancer and its complications.

Now, one year on, Kimberley Walsh has revealed that the four remaining girls have organised the event, which was Sarah's dying wish.

It was never the the plan, however, for the four - Kimberly, 40, Cheryl Tweedy, 39, Nadine Coyle, 37, and Nicola Roberts, 36 to perform, with Kimberley stating: "It doesn't feel right without her.

Sarah Harding passed away in September 2021, aged just 39 (Getty Images)
Kimberly Walsh said the four girls won't be performing at the event together as it 'wouldn't feel right' without Sarah (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Dorothy Perkins – Boohoo Group)

"We miss her so much. It's just so hard to get your head around it — to realise that she's gone," The Sun reports her as saying.

The group has instead invited Years and Years singer and It's a Sin actor, Olly Alexander to headline the show, along with Kaiser Chiefs frontman and former The Voice judge Ricky Wilson. A friend of Sarah, Ricky also starred in comedy film St. Trinian's alongside her.

Pop veteran Chrissie Hynde, meanwhile, is also set to make an appearance on stage.

Earlier this year Cheryl, Nadine and Nicola joined fellow runners at Hyde Park in Race for Life, also to raise money in Sarah's memory.

Nicola Roberts, Cheryl Tweedy and Nadine Coyle took part in Race for Life for Sarah earlier this year (PA)

Hundreds of fans gathered to watch the three stars take part in the run - many with dyed pink hair, wigs, and tutus – while the singers donned matching t-shirts in support of their friend.

Kimberly, who missed the Race, continued: "I was in Ibiza for my mum’s 70th and I was gutted to miss it, to be honest. The walk was a really special thing to do. But we've got the gala, which we've been working on for over a year.

"Before Sarah died, we chatted to her and she told us she wanted us to raise as much money as we could for charity."

The gala will be held at The Londoner hotel on Saturday and will be hosted by Fearne Cotton.

Money raised will be used to fund a study headed by Sarah’s oncologist, focusing on why so many young women are suffering from the disease.

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