Sarah Harding said she felt ‘comforted’ that she would ‘probably’ die before her mum

LATE Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding said she felt "comforted" knowing she would probably die before her beloved mother Marie.

Sarah tragically died at the age of 39 following a battle with breast cancer.

Her mother Marie confirmed the heartbreaking news on Sarah's Instagram page, writing: "It’s with deep heartbreak that today I’m sharing the news that my beautiful daughter Sarah has sadly passed away.

"Many of you will know of Sarah’s battle with cancer and that she fought so strongly from her diagnosis until her last day.

"She slipped away peacefully this morning. I’d like to thank everyone for their kind support over the past year.

"It meant the world to Sarah and it gave her great strength and comfort to know she was loved.

"I know she won’t want to be remembered for her fight against this terrible disease – she was a bright shining star and I hope that’s how she can be remembered instead. - Marie x."

However, Sarah admitted she felt "strangely comforted" that she will "probably" die before her mum.

She didn't want to face the pain of losing her mum and grieve for her.

Tributes have already started flooding in from her showbiz pals.

Sarah was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer last August and underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy in a bid to prolong her life.

Sarah had bravely spoken out about her diagnosis, releasing a book called Hear Me Out which documented her life as a pop star and chronicled her fight with cancer earlier this year.

She said: "In a strange way it's comforting to know that I will probably leave this world before she does; at least then I won't have to go through the pain of losing her.

"The truth is, I can't live without her now, she cares for me and helps me because, at times, I am too weak to help myself."

🔵 Read our Sarah Harding blog for the latest updates

In the book, Sarah wrote about reuniting with her Girls Aloud bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Kimberley Walsh and Nadine Coyle and said they had become close again.

She also spoke candidly about her experience of living with cancer and told how she had almost died following a battle with sepsis while in hospital.

At the time she wrote: “I’m just grateful to wake up every day and live my best life, because now I know just how precious it is . . . nothing is certain any more.”