"She was a bright shining star."

Girls Aloud's Sarah Harding has passed away, aged 39. The star, who shared her cancer diagnosis with fans last year, passed away peacefully this morning. Her mother broke the news today on Instagram. She 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.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CTcNfE0o3X5/ Sarah shared that she was battling advanced breast cancer last year.   At the time, she said: "There’s no easy way to say this and actually it doesn’t even feel real writing this, but here goes. "Earlier this year I was diagnosed with breast cancer and a couple of weeks ago I received the devastating news that the cancer has advanced to other parts of my body. "I’m currently undergoing weekly chemotherapy sessions and I am fighting as hard as I possibly can. I understand this might be shocking to read on social media and that really isn’t my intention." Harding shot to fame in 2002 when she joined UK girl group Girls Aloud. Winners of Pop Stars: The Rivals, the band went on to enjoy international fame, multiple number one hits, and a string of successful tours. During the group's first break from music, Harding went on to launch her acting career, appearing in the likes of Bad Day, Freefall, and St Trinian's. She briefly appeared in Coronation Street in 2015 and in 2017, won the celebrity instalment of Big Brother.