Kimberley Walsh leads heartfelt tributes to Girls Aloud band mate Sarah Harding on the one year anniversary of her death

Kimberley Walsh has paid tribute to her close friend Sarah Harding, on the one year anniversary of her untimely death.

Sarah sadly passed away on 5 September 2021, aged 39, after a battle with breast cancer.

Girls Aloud star Kimberley posted a picture of her late bandmate on Instagram, saying that she “can still hardly believe” that she has passed.

The post received comments from actresses Catherine Tyldesley, Michelle Collins and Denise Van Outen, and television presenters Geth Jones and Rav Wilding.

Peter Andre also paid tribute to the former girl band member with an exclusive message in his column for The Mirror.

Sarah was a bridesmaid for Peter’s ex-wife Katie Price, at their Highclere Castle wedding in September 2005.

The glamour model had a famous collection of bridesmaids, including Sarah, Michelle Heaton, and Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona.

Peter wrote: "It was such a shock when Sarah died, but what I love about the Great British public is that when a terrible situation like this happens and someone so loved passes, people put all their love and support behind the family.

"Sarah was a very loved person, she will never be forgotten. I hope her family have been able to in some way come to terms with their loss. It’s such a terrible thing to have happened to someone so young."

Earlier this summer, Girl Aloud’s Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle reunited after nine years, to take part in a charity race in honor of Sarah.

They attended the Race For Life at Hyde Park, London - which rasies money for Cancer Research UK.

Cheryl said Sarah “would be so happy” seeing her former bandmates catch up.

Kimberley joined remotely and took part in a run in her hometown as she couldn’t attend the London event.

Kimberly previously paid tribute to the Celebrity Big Brother winner with an Instagram post on what would have been her 40th birthday.

She said that she “hoped” with all her heart that they would be celebrating their “40th together”.

This came just two months after the passing of Sarah, which Kimberley said broke her heart.

She said her favourite thing in the world was hearing Sarah’s “infectious chuckle”.

Sarah’s mum, Marie Hardman, was the first one to annouce the news of her daughter’s death via Instagram, describing that she “slipped away peacefully”.

She wrote: “It’s with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away”