Girls Aloud singers Cheryl, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh and Nadine Coyle were in high spirits as they began the race for their lives in memory of their late teammate Sarah Harding.
The Promise singers came together this Sunday to take part in a 5km run London‘s Hyde Park, with Kimberley joining in remotely to raise awareness and funds for the charity Cancer Research UK.
Harding died in September 2021 at age 39, more than a year after being diagnosed with breast cancer cancer.
Just after 11am on Sunday, Girls Aloud gathered in Hyde Park surrounded by a huge swarm of fans as they prepared to pound the pavement.
Nicola, 36, went live on Instagram and shared scenes of the jubilant crowds, telling her followers: ‘It’s going great, we’re just getting started. The energy is amazing.”
She was joined by Kimberley, 38, who is unable to join her bandmates in Hyde Park and is instead taking part from her home town with a group of loved ones.
“So awesome,” she said of the supportive comments on Instagram Live, adding, “Thank you so much for doing this and participating.”
The pop stars also retweeted a message from On The Board in tribute to Harding as the Race For Live event kicked off.
Their heartfelt message contained subtle references to Girls Aloud hits and read: “Life went cold when you passed away, we prayed 100 different ways for some kind of miracle and hoped we’d wait for the day.”
“The memory of you will live forever and night, and will shine brighter than a long hot summer lit by the sun, no one is untouchable when it comes to cancer, and love is pain to the loving kind, when sadness breaks the heart.”
Love Island host Laura Whitmore also wished the singers the best of luck.
Kimberly recently opened up about how they dealt with Harding’s death and a very “tough year”, the BBC Radio 2 presenter said Zoe Ball: You know what, it’s crazy for me to think that almost a year has passed – it’s a year in September.
“It’s a daily challenge, let’s say, and I think it throws you at times when you least expect it.
“It feels like: How is this our reality?”
Calling Harding’s illness “still such a shock”, Nicola continued: “You go back to when there were five of us and you never in your wildest nightmares would have imagined it would turn out like this.”
Macmillan Cancer Support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their web chat serviceor visit their website for more information.
