'I treated Sarah Harding as she battled cancer - now I'm helping fulfil her dying wish'

A doctor who treated Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding for breast cancer is helping raise money whilst leading groundbreaking research into the disease in her honour.

The singer from Stockport, who was part of the girl band since their inception on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, tragically passed away at the age of 39 in September 2021 after she was diagnosed with a terminal form of the disease.

Her dying wish was to help find new ways to spot signs of the disease to stop lives like hers being cut short. An innovative study called BCAN-RAY (Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women) study was launched, led by Dr Sacha Howell, who was Sarah’s consultant during her treatment at The Christie in Withington.

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“There are too many young women in their 30s, like Sarah, tragically dying from breast cancer," Dr Howell said. “She was very keen for more research to be done to find out why they are being diagnosed despite no other family members having been affected by the disease. Sarah spoke to me many times about this during her own treatment.

“The BCAN-RAY study is Sarah’s legacy and the first study of its kind for young women which is helping us find out how we can more accurately identify those who may develop breast cancer.

"It is still the leading cause of death in women under 50 and BCAN-RAY will help us identify those most at risk so we can offer them breast screening to detect cancers earlier, when treatment is more likely to be successful.”

Sarah’s Girls Aloud bandmates, Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, continue to champion the cause, alongside generous public support.

Dr Howell, who also works