Lorraine Kelly says the late Sarah Harding’s memory “will save lives”.
Sarah Harding died in 2021 aged 39 after being diagnosed with breast cancer
The 63-year-old presenter praised the advocacy work being done to raise awareness about the importance of getting checked for lumps after the Girls Aloud star passed away after being diagnosed late with breast cancer aged 39 in 2021.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “I’m really glad that’s happening for her family, because that’s her legacy. The work being done in Sarah’s name will save lives, which is tremendous.
Lorraine gushed about the late singer and her ability to be "glamorous" even when she was being silly.
She said: “She’s the only person in the world I know who dressed as a jobby and still looked glamorous.”
The former ‘GMTV’ host acknowledged the importance of “talking” about it on platforms such as her ITV daytime chat show.
Lorraine said: “But the great thing is we’re actually talking about it. When I was first on TV, we’re talking almost 40 years ago now, we didn’t even say the word ‘cancer’. That’s why I think shows like ours, the daytime shows, we’ve been pioneers in many ways when it comes to health issues and talking about everything.
“We’ve shown live breast exams on camera, experts like Dr Hilary [Jones] have talked us through them, and it’s helped take all the embarrassment and silliness out of it. That’s really important as well, it’s just another part of your body, of course we shouldn’t be embarrassed of it.”
Lorraine - who has her 29-year-old daughter Rosie with her husband Steve Smith, 63 - shared that people who deal with the disease like her late Granny Mac and her colleague Helen hate being labelled “warriors or brave” after diagnosis.
She said: “What I learned is that people don’t want to be called warriors or brave, they’re just trying to deal with a really difficult situation. “What I learned is that people don’t want to be called warriors or brave, they’re just trying to deal with a really difficult situation.”
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