Sarah Harding admits she was ‘such a mess’ before rehab
Sarah Harding has spoken about her decision to go to rehab for the first time, revealing that it was her Girls Aloud bandmates who helped her realise she needed help to sort out her heavy drinking.
The blonde singer – known for her partying ways – said she cried “hysterically” as she headed to a clinic in the US.
Harding said her drinking went out of control as her relationship with ex-fiance Tom Crane disintegrated and she tried to “numb” the pain.
She told Hello! magazine: “The day I left for rehab, I was in such a mess. I’ve been told by those close to me that was when I hit my worst.
“I was crying hysterically. I felt ashamed, embarrassed, terrified – my emotions were all over the place.”
Harding said she was ricocheting between emotional extremes as her wild living spiralled as a way to cope with being down.
The chart star – who scored hits such as Love Machine and Biology – with the girl group sought help for depression and alcohol abuse in October when her relationship with DJ Crane fell apart.
She said: “Our lives had started to go in different directions without us even realising and we’d become like passing ships.
“He had his career, I had mine, and somehow they didn’t seem to marry up. As far as our future plans were concerned, I didn’t see how it would work.
“I was so down but I just tried to keep busy and, to numb myself, I was drinking more. It was my way of escaping.”
And, she admits, the situation soon spiralled.
Harding said her “emotions were all over the place” adding: “One minute I was deliriously happy, to the point of hysteria, and totally in denial about my problems saying, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ The next it hit me and when it did, it hit me hard. It’s all about acceptance.”
It was a dinner with bandmates Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts which made her realise she had a problem. A night earlier she had appeared on the catwalk at a fashion show, then went out to celebrate.
“I went too far, drank way too much,” she told Hello!.
But rather than toning it down the next day, her friends were shocked to see she merely picked up and carried on.
Harding said: “The following night, I saw Nicola and Kimberley for dinner. I wasn’t in a good state at all – I was very hungover. But the first thing I wanted to do was open a bottle of wine. I know they were really worried about me.”
The singer – who checked out of the clinic last month – feels she has now turned it around.
“I’ve turned 30 now and, although there will always be a bit of the rock chick in me, I’m trying to embrace my softer and more feminine side.
“And I am trying really hard to be healthy. I have met up with friends in London since I got back and I’ve realised I can socialise without booze,” added Harding.
- The full interview is in the new edition of HELLO! which is out now.
[VIDEO] Cheryl Cole interview on The Lorraine Show 08/12/11
An interview with Cheryl aired this morning on the Lorraine Show.
If you missed it, watch it above.
Cheryl talks about her shoe collection with StylistPick, and why she chose names for each shoe. She talks fashion, and how she admires Lady Gaga and talks about her cameo role in the film What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
Cheryl Cole has revealed that she is happier than ever after being out of the spotlight for four months and gaining seven pounds.
Looking more amazing than ever in this new shoot, Cheryl said that she had gone up a dress size and couldn’t be happier about it. Speaking to Grazia magazine, Cheryl said: “This is a happy time – onwards and upwards.”
It may have something to do with her massive shoe collection. Cheryl confessed: “I’ve always, always loved shoes but over the past few years I’ve definitely developed a proper fetish.
“I own about two thousand pairs of shoes – and that’s after giving quite a few away. I’m a bit weird with them. There are shoes I don’t wear anymore but I just can’t part with them.
“If I can’t wear them again I also can’t get rid of them because they are so linked to that emotion. I’m probably a bit bonkers like that.
“I hoard them all over the house, in cupboards in the kitchen, in the bathroom, every room. There is a big chance when you open the fridge in my house there will be a pair of shoes at the bottom.
“My absolute favourites are a lace pair of Louboutins. I wore them the first ever time I went to Cannes, two years ago. For me, all shoes have memories – wearing them on a certain occasion like that means the shoe gets that memory.”
She may be giving Imelda Marcos and SJP a run for their, er, heel habits but Cheryl refuses to obsess about everything, namely her weight.
The star admits: “When I’m really thin is normally when I am working nonstop. I don’t put any emphasis on thinking, “Oh, I’m thin at the moment. Right now I’ve got my curves back because I’ve had time off, I’m at home cooking, I’m more relaxed.
“I’m not defined by being seven pounds heavier than I was two months ago – I think it is really unhealthy to go there.
“I’ve got my boobs and bum back and, yeah, I like it. I think it’s sexy.”
Interview with Kimberley on Shrek and travelling with Girls Aloud
The newest star of Shrek the Musical tells Rupert Murray about her travels with Girls Aloud and swapping massive arenas for the intimate West End.
Kimberley Walsh is best known for being one-fifth of the UK’s most successful girl band. Since being plucked from obscurity on one of Simon Cowell’s early talent shows, Popstars :The Rivals, she has travelled the world with Cheryl, Sarah, Nicola and Nadine performing to huge audiences in exotic locations. With the girls taking a break to pursue personal dreams, Kimberly has found her way back to the West End and Shrek the Musical – playing the role of Princess, naturally. Aspire caught up with her in the ogre’s lair to find out where the pop princess spends her downtime.
How did you feel the first time you walked onto the stage?
Scared, excited, happy and nervous. I knew the girls and my family were all in the audience cheering me on, so that helped settle the butterflies!
How does it compare to performing at venues such as Wembley and the O2?
It’s always so strange performing without the girls, although because this is a theatre show and so different to anything I did in Girls Aloud, it feels okay. It’s a more intimate experience, and I love to hear the audience’s interaction, you don’t necessarily get that at the O2.
Are you a musical theatre fan? If so which are your favourites?
I’ve always loved the theatre. I played the role of Eponine in Les Misérables for TV show Passions of Girls Aloud; the role of Young Cosette in Les Misérables when I was 12, and I appeared in the touring production of Evita aged 14.
What would help travel agents persuade clients that the West End, and Shrek, is a must-do experience?
It is a great thing to do with the whole family. There’s something in the show to keep everyone entertained. Shrek combines the long-standing West End theatre tradition while incorporating a modern moral message. Also going to the theatre is quintessentially English!
