Sarah Harding asked her Girls Aloud bandmates to celebrate their 20th anniversary without her.

Although Sarah - who passed away following a breast cancer battle in 2021 - knew she was unlikely to make it to the band's milestone anniversary, she asked them to mark the occasion anyway.

Cheryl Tweedy told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "Sarah stayed with me for about a week and she was throwing around ideas of how we could celebrate 20 years of Girls Aloud while she was still here.

"At one point, she did say to us, ‘Even if I can’t make it, I hope you girls do it without me’.”

Kimberley Walsh added: “One of our main aims on this tour is to do Sarah ­justice and give us and our fans that moment to celebrate her.

“I think they need it — I think we all need it.”

Cheryl said: "I want us to bring back happy memories for people.

“I love listening to music that transports me to the way I felt at a different time, and I think Girls Aloud are that band for a lot of people.”

Cheryl also revealed that the band decided on a tour because they want their children to see them perform.

Cheryl, Kimberley and bandmate Nadine Coyle have five children between them and they want their kids to see them and Nicola Roberts taking to the stage.

Cheryl said: "I think one of our ­driving forces is that our kids are going to see us on stage and think we’re actually cool. They’re going to see Mammy on stage!”

Girls Aloud split in 2013 after releasing 21 Top Ten singles.