When bands and programmes flood the world,

They seep inside our minds and hearts

And leave their mark in gorgeous memories,

Of dancing in our bedrooms with

A hairbrush as a microphone, believing

With all our hearts that we are part

Of that girl group or those Friends

On TV each Thursday night, the ones we quote

In every aspect of our lives.

So when they’re gone, they leave a hole

Somewhere desperate on the edge

Of that plane that makes us human too.

Anyone living in Britain who is in their twenties or thirties will know the girl band Girls Aloud and so there will have been lots of shocked people on Sunday when the news broke that Sarah Harding died.

It’s always shocking when someone young dies, and Sarah was only thirty-nine which really is tragic. People who are thirty-nine should be looking forward to many more years of life.

I felt a similar pang of fear and hurt when Caroline Flack died. I think it might be because these women are about my age and it is terrifying to realise that I’m not indestructible. And Sarah shot to fame on Popstars The Rivals when I was fifteen so I feel that I have really become an adult alongside Girls Aloud.

I know it’s a bit of a cliche to say that someone was a shining light once they are gone but when I was eighteen and living in London I was walking past Pizza Express in Soho and these four women walked out of the door. My eye was drawn to the shock of blonde hair as Sarah crossed the street. There are only a handful of people on this planet who make you double take in their presence and she really was one; she was just so beautiful and shiny.

Much Love

Rachel xx