Book: Hear Me Out

Author: Sarah Harding

Last year, doctors told Sarah Harding that Christmas 2020 was likely to be her last. Their prognosis, sadly, turned out to be accurate: the singer passed away last week (September 5) at the age of 39 after a year-long battle with breast cancer.

While she was fighting the terrible disease that ultimately claimed her life, the former member of Girls Aloud wrote a book detailing both her personal and professional life while shedding light on her cancer struggles. Titled Hear Me Out (after a Girls Aloud song she helped co-write), the memoir finds the singer candidly discussing the many highs and lows she experienced from childhood till the last few months of her life.

The pop star shares stories about her unconventional upbringing, which included having to switch seven schools as a child and experiencing life in lonely, tough boarding schools. She recalls getting in trouble for her seemingly endless amount of energy and daredevil antics, and eventually getting diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that would continue to have an impact on her for the rest of her life. Harding mentions her rebellious teenage years, being part of the naughty crowd, and the odd jobs (working in a hair and beauty place, local nightclub, debt collection agency, and delivering pizzas among others) she held before eventually finding success in the music business. Her love of horses often comes up, and so does her love life. She concedes she wasn’t the luckiest in love and is frank about her failed relationships, showing particular regret about her breakup with DJ Tom Crane; she says she never forgave herself for pushing him away.

A significant portion of the book is dedicated to Harding’s time in the entertainment industry, primarily as a singer and occasionally as an actor. She recalls how music and singing dominated her childhood dreams. After a few “almost there, near-miss” moments, she finally landed a place on the televised talent show Popstars: The Rivals, which then led to a place in Girls Aloud (alongside Nadine Coyle, Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh), an outfit that would go on to become one of the most successful girl groups in pop music history. Harding addresses everything from the controversy that resulted from her being picked over favourite Javine Hylton to her subsequent image as a “mad, off-the-rails party girl”. She discusses some of the music the girls created together and how much she struggled with dancing and choreography while she was part of the band. She also opens up about the pressures of fame, her “bumpy patches” with alcohol and drugs, and ending up in rehab several times.

Perhaps the most poignant parts of the book revolve around her cancer diagnosis and treatment. From noticing a lump under her arm to finding out several months later that the disease had spread to her lungs and brain, she details the massive toll that cancer takes on a person as it invades their body, taking away their independence and sense of self while the treatment pretty much takes over their life. Parts of the book were written at a stage when she didn’t know how many months she had left, which makes this an even more touching read.

The book comes off as an honest, sincere account of the challenges Harding faced throughout her life and the resilience she showed in the face of adversity. The simple prose makes her writing feel more raw and personal, like someone is telling you their story in their own voice. (She does mention, at one point, getting help from her friend Terry Ronald in writing the book, but the text never seems overly polished.)

Hear Me Out gave the singer a chance to “reflect on everything, good and bad, and to remind myself what a wonderfully full and colourful life I’ve had” and it will continue to give her fans a glimpse at the real Sarah Harding. It probably won’t entirely change the party girl image that was cultivated over the last two decades, but it will help you see her beyond the tabloid portrayal of a wild, out-of-control popstar as you get to know a complex person who wasn’t afraid to show vulnerability while detailing her missteps and who showed an enormous amount of strength while fighting a heart-breaking battle.