Sarah speaks out

Girls Aloud star reveals reasons behind stint in rehab...

10:39 13 December 2011

Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has spoken out about her rehabilitation stint earlier this year, following her split from long term partner, Tom Crane.

The pair ended their engagement in October and to deal with the pain, she tried to "numb" herself by drinking excessively and living a wild lifestyle.

The 30-year-old singer told Hello! Magazine:

"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."

The Love Machine star revealed that it was her fellow band members, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, who first spotted that she had a problem with depression and drinking, leading her to head off to a US rehab clinic to find help.

After checking out of the clinic last month, it seems that Harding is back on the straight and narrow, stepping out with a new mystery boyfriend earlier this week.

She continued, telling the publication:

"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."