Sarah Harding reveals past cocaine struggles and stints in rehab: ‘It was a case of do or die’
Girls Aloud star, who is fighting breast cancer, spoke about her personal difficulties in new book
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Sarah Harding has recalled her struggles with cocaine, which prompted a number of trips to rehab.
The Girls Aloud singer, who is fighting breast cancer, discusses her past substance abuse in her new memoir, Hear Me Out, and recalls using drugs to “numb the pain” of a bad break-up.
“I wasn’t sleeping properly or eating,” she writes in a chapter extract published in Metro Online. “I was on a treadmill of booze, sleeping pills and drugs if they were around. Anything to numb the pain. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t go down the dark route of heroin or anything like that, and drugs like ketamine and crystal meth scared the life out of me … Still, it was bad enough, and a measure of how low I felt.”
Harding writes that soon enough she had hit rock bottom, and realised she was involved in “a case of do or die”, and pledged to get healthy.
“I’d never describe myself as an addict,” she continued. “However bad things got, I always knew when enough was enough. Still, I’m not going to lie, I’ve had a few stints in rehab – more than many people know about. It’s something I chose to do when I felt I needed to, and even though some were more successful than others, doing it always gave me a chance to stop and take stock.”
In another extract from Here Me Out shared last week (13 March), Harding revealed that her doctors had informed her that December 2020 “would probably” mark her last Christmas.
Read more:
Harding was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and underwent a mastectomy and intensive chemotherapy as a result. Despite early signs the chemo was working, Harding was later informed that the cancer had spread.
Harding became famous as a member of Girls Aloud, which was formed on the reality series Popstars: The Rivals. She also found success in the acting world, appearing in films including St Trinian’s and Freefall.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments