The first signs of breast cancer Sarah Harding spotted - and the symptoms you shouldn't ignore

Girls Aloud reunited in memory of their late bandmate Sarah Harding who died last year after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh, Nadine Coyle and Cheryl Tweedy teamed up with Cancer Research to host a special charity event on Sunday called Race for Life for Sarah. In her book, Sarah revealed her experiences after she was diagnosed with the disease, including the first signs she spotted.

Here is what Sarah said about breast cancer and the other symptoms that are important to look out for. We have also given advice from the NHS.

Read More: 'I still can't believe it's real': Cheryl joins Girls Aloud bandmates at Race for Life in tribute to Sarah Harding

Sarah Harding's first symptoms of breast cancer

After sharing the news in August 2020 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, Sarah Harding opened up about early symptoms that she initially dismissed, reports The Mirror. In her book Hear Me Out, the Girls Aloud singer revealed she had felt pain around her breast but wrote it off as a cyst because she was in "denial".

Sarah wrote: "At first I thought it was just a cyst. I’d been playing my guitar a lot, and I thought the strap had probably irritated an area around my breast. The trouble was, the pain was getting worse. It got so bad that I couldn’t sleep in a bed any more. I slept on the sofa, popping painkillers like they were Smarties.

Former Girls Aloud band members (left to right) Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle with air horns start the Race for Life for Sarah at Hyde Park, London (PA)

"I really overdid it, but the pain was overwhelming. Eventually, my skin started to bruise, and by now I was terrified." She continued: "One day I woke up realising that I’d been in denial.

"Yes, there was a lockdown, yes, there was a pandemic, but it was almost as if I’d been using that as an excuse not to face up to the fact that something was very wrong. All through the tests, I was, of course, praying that it wasn’t cancer.

"I think the fact that what I had was so painful gave me some hope it might not be. I’d read that cancer lumps are often not painful, which is why I was hoping against hope that what I had was just a cyst of some kind."

Signs of breast cancer to look out for

Like Sarah, the first symptom of breast cancer that most women notice is a lump or an area of thickened tissue in their breast. Not all lumps are cancerous, but it's important to have them checked by a doctor. Don't forget men can also get breast cancer, so they also need to check themselves regularly.

According to the NHS, some other signs of breast cancer to look for include:

• A change in the size or the shape of one or both breasts
• Discharge of fluid from your nipple
• A change in the look or feel of your skin, such as a rash, redness, puckering or dimpling
• An eczma-like rash, crusting, scaly or itchy skin or redness on or around your nipple
• A change in how your nipple looks, such as becoming sunken
• A lump or swelling in either of your armpits

Breast pain in not usually a symptom of breast cancer, but it was for Sarah. If you think something could be wrong, or you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above then you should see a GP.

Read Next:

• Former TOWIE star Lauren Goodger gives suspected reason behind baby girl's sudden death

• Declan Donnelly welcomes newborn son hailed as 'ray of light' following brother's death

• Denise Welch opens up on how dad's death 'inspired her to carry on tradition' of living life to the full

• Dame Deborah James' BBC podcast wins major award less than a month after Bowelbabe's death

• Bittersweet reunion as long lost Newcastle siblings finally meet - months after their mum's death