Nadine Coyle has vowed to honour Sarah Harding in everything she does, almost five years on from the Girls Aloud star’s death.
The beloved pop star died in September 2021 at the age of 39 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in August the previous year.
Since then, her Sound of the Underground bandmates—Nadine, Cheryl, Kimberley Walsh, and Nicola Roberts—have fundraised in her memory and continue to keep her alive through the group’s music.
Speaking exclusively to Metro, Nadine, 40, has now declared that ‘Sarah will always be honoured’ by the girls.
It comes after she and her fellow bandmates, who were put together on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, completed a 30-date tour across the UK and Ireland as a four-piece.
Titled The Girls Aloud Show, it was their first tour as a quartet and consisted of all their major hits, also including emotional tributes to Harding throughout.
On why Harding simply had to feature in the set, Nadine told us: ‘It’s so important. She’s such a huge part of the band in so many ways, and to not have her there is very surreal.’
‘Even talking about it still feels surreal that that’s the way that it is,’ she admitted.
‘And definitely some of the rehearsals and bits that Sarah and I would usually do together, I was doing it with Nicola, and it was difficult; those were some tough days.
‘But we definitely knuckled down and tried to just see it for how important it was that we did the tour and did it for Sarah and spent time with the fans.’
Nadine has never made any secret of her love for Girls Aloud, declaring even today that it’s ‘great to still be doing it all these years later’.
She added that it’s still just as ‘fun’ to be part of one of the UK’s biggest girl bands, despite the ‘hard parts’ fans aren’t privy to.
‘You don’t see all the work or all the things that go into it, but that’s, like, anything. You don’t get to see behind the screen and see everybody’s jobs.’
Nadine proceeded to shrug off ‘concerns’ with her identity beyond the group, saying she ‘feels very confident in [herself] and who [she] is’.
‘I have never really had to overthink my identity because it’s there. I think if I had been concerned enough to try and conform or try to have myself be something more palatable, I reckon this accent would’ve gone a long time ago, and it hasn’t!’, she joked.
This summer, the Derry-born musician will headline the Clapham Grand Pride Day Party as part of their celebrations for the LGBTQ+ community.
Having always had a loyal LGBTQ+ following, Nadine is no stranger to performing at a Pride event, admitting that it ‘wouldn’t be summer’ without it.
‘lt’s my third time doing the Clapham Grand, and every time I’ve done it, it’s been such a fun time, and this one, you’ll have London Pride, then it will come to Clapham, and you can have a great night there, and we can all hang out together again and have a wonderful time.’
Asked about the importance of being an LGBTQ+ ally, Nadine said it’s not something that ever ‘comes into question’.
‘It is just what it is. It’s as natural as anything in the world for me.
‘I am so proud of my friends and people who have faced struggles that mean we all get to live in this somewhat peaceful existence.
‘I’m really up for people having themselves be whoever it is they feel natural being and enjoying that, and I hope that for myself, and I hope that for everybody else.’
Nadine Coyle returns to The Clapham Grand to headline their Pride Day Party on Saturday, July 5, from 5-10pm, as part of the venue’s biggest ever day of Pride celebrations. Get all tickets here.
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