Girls Aloud stepped out of the spotlight in the finale of their second night on tour in Dublin - and placed late bandmate Sarah Harding centre stage in a spine-tingling tribute.
The girl-band, made up of Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts, paid tribute to Sarah, who died in September 2021 at the age of 39 following a breast cancer diagnosis.
The singers revealed that they felt compelled to get back together and do another tour in honour of their late band-member, and they did her proud on the first leg of the tour as Dublin fans were left not only with goosebumps, but with tears flowing their down faces too.
The audience watched as Cheryl, Nadine, Kimberley, and Nicola all turn their backs on the 13,000 audience during the encore. Then, footage of Sarah appeared on screen singing her iconic lyric from their hit song, The Promise: “So here I am. Walking Primrose. Wondering when I’m gonna see you again”.
Cheryl broke down on stage (X/themikeymoscow)
Sarah passed away in September 2021 at the age of 39 (PA)While Friday night's concert opened the tour in Dublin, it was Saturday night that has got everyone talking. Concert-goers were forced to fight back tears when Cheryl almost broke down on stage over 22 years after the band were formed for ITV talent show, Popstars.
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Cheryl was trying her very best not to cry as the group sand 'Stand By You' accompanied by Sarah's singing. Nadine had pre-warned the crowd that it might get a little tearful: "We're going to do a duet with Sarah tonight. It's going to be us, Sarah, you. Let's do this together."
One concert-goer exclusively told The Mirror that it felt as though Sarah's presence was in the the room with them as her bandmates held themselves together through the emotional night. "Honestly, it felt like Sarah was there. Although she wasn't physically on stage, it was undeniable that something special was happening. There was this unexplainable feeling. Lots of people were in tears and then Cheryl almost bawled while singing.
Girls Aloud played a stunning tribute to Sarah (Tom Dymond/REX/Shutterstock)"The tributes they dedicated to her were nothing short of incredible. It's so sad that Sarah is gone, but the way the girls have remembered her in the tour is so heartwarming.
"It really did feel like there was so much love in the room, and I don't know, it just felt as though she was there, cheering them on. I reckon she would have loved to have been there. I've been a fan since day one, so I'll never forget this night."
On the first night in Dublin, Cheryl had shared her thanks with the fans watching for their support after Sarah's passing. She told them: "Thank you for your support through everything we went through with Sarah. It's hard to believe but it's such a beautiful thing to be on stage with these ladies again."
There were further poignant moments when a black and white video of Sarah performing 'History' played, which was followed by a touching tribute montage which finished with the words: "The darkest nights produce the brightest stars."
Sarah was still apart of the show (Tom Dymond/REX/Shutterstock)Speaking about the reunion, Cheryl previously shared the reasons for them getting back together for a tour. She said: "I think one of our driving forces is that our kids are going to see us on stage and think we’re actually cool. They’re going to see Mammy on stage!"
The group said they also wanted to do Sarah justice and bring back memories for fans. Cheryl added: "I want us to bring back happy memories for people. I love listening to music that transports me to the way I felt at a different time, and I think Girls Aloud are that band for a lot of people."
Kimberley continued: "I think I’m only realising now just how much our music means to people.I get so many different kinds of people approaching me to say our songs hold special memories for them."
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Breast Cancer Support.
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