Entertainment
Davina McCall remembers Sarah Harding and her ‘great legacy’ on Stand Up To Cancer
Davina took a moment to speak about Sarah Harding (Picture: Rex/Channel 4)
Davina McCall took a moment to remember her friend Sarah Harding on tonight’s Stand Up To Cancer television special.
The fundraising programme, which was presented by a team including Davina, Maya Jama, Joe Lycett, Adam Hills and Alan Carr, also remembered other celebrities who died of cancer this year, including comedian Sean Lock.
Harding died in September at the age of 39 after a battle with breast cancer.
The two first met in 2002 on Popstars: The Rivals, the show that brought Harding and the other members of Girls Aloud together and formed the band, which Davina presented.
In 2016, Harding also competed in another show hosted by 53-year-old Davina, The Jump, which was the last time the two saw each other.
Praising her during the telethon, Davina said: ‘She leaves such a great legacy in her music.’
Davina paid tribute to her friend (Picture: Channel 4)
Fans were also touched by Davina’s words, with one tweeting: ‘This tribute to Sarah Harding’, with a tearful emoji, while another posted: ‘RIP Sarah Harding, too young.’
The Big Brother presenter had previously spoken about their friendship to OK!, and shared: ‘I read somewhere that she’d given herself a hard time for not going to sort it out earlier. That, for me, is always the hardest thing.’
Harding’s story hit close to home for Davina, who revealed her sister had a similar experience, with the star ultimately losing both her and her mother to cancer.
Love Machine singer Sarah’s death triggered a wave of tributes from across the world of showbusiness, with her Girls Aloud bandmates left ‘devastated’ by the news and Louis Walsh, Geri Horner, Katie Price and Good Morning Britain presenters Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard all sharing their memories of the star.
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The statement announcing Sarah’s death on Instagram read: ‘It’s with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away.’
Sarah’s mother, Marie, said that she ‘slipped away peacefully this morning’, adding: ‘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.’
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