Girls Aloud star and actress Sarah Harding has sadly died at the age of 39, following a battle with breast cancer.

The performer announced that she had cancer last summer but her mother announced her passing in a statement on Instagram today: "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."

As well as being one fifth of Girls Aloud, Harding made her professional stage debut in the touring production of Ghost the Musical in 2016, but was later forced to leave the show due to injury.

Our thoughts are with Sarah’s family and friends at this difficult time.