Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding has spoken of her "humbling" trip to South Africa to raise funds for U.K. charity Comic Relief.
The British singer was asked to take part in a trek for the cause in 2009, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with her bandmates Cheryl Cole and Kimberley Walsh - but she was unable to join in because she suffers from a bad back.
Now Harding has travelled to Cape Town to visit mothers2mothers, a project which supports HIV positive parents, and to promote Comic Relief's fundraising Red Nose Day, which will take place on 18 March (11).
And the singer feels "uplifted" by the experience, telling Britain's Daily Star, "To see the strength these people have is so humbling. I'm amazed at how strong these women and children are... I was asked to do the climb with them (Cole and Walsh) but couldn't because I have a dodgy back.
"I've supported Comic Relief for many years, so when the opportunity came up to visit a project with British Airways I was keen to go. But having never visited Cape Town, or a township, I didn't know what to expect. I was told about the poverty here but to be truly passionate about it I had to see it with my own eyes and talk to the people about it.
"I met some exceptional people who are facing unimaginable circumstances. It was a privilege to witness the work and I came away feeling uplifted."
Other stars who are backing this year's (11) Red Nose Day include Keira Knightley, David Beckham and Sir Paul MCCartney, who have teamed up for a TV sketch, which also includes Rupert Grint, George Michael and funnyman James Corden.