These days, when Cheryl posts on Instagram, we swear the world stops revolving for a second – it’s a big deal. But there was a time when Cheryl was walking red carpets every other weekend, was all over our TV screens, and could be found partying in between.
Yes, the 38 year old is a devoted mother to four-year-old Bear now, but a source close to Cheryl tells heat that after returning to work with vitamin brand Feel, she wants to put her career at the top of her priority list again.
“Cheryl loves being back in the spotlight, and it’s made her realise she wants more than this,” our insider says of the singer, who was announced as brand ambassador of the vitamin supplement company last month.
“Working with Feel has been great, and it’s a product she feels strongly about as it has worked wonders for her. But she’s ready to branch out into doing more. She’d love a high-profile TV job, and feels this is a chance to retake her crown as the nation’s sweetheart and recapture the huge success she had when she first joined The X Factor.”
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1 of 10Cheryl
During her time in Girls Aloud Cheryl married and divorced footballer ex-husband Ashley Cole after he cheated. Cheryl was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an altercation with a nightclub toilet attended in 2003. On a slightly lighter note (well, kind of) she threw a lot of shade when she said she "didn't think" Nicole Scherzinger would make it as a solo artist…
2 of 10Cheryl - 2020
Since her time in Girls Aloud, Chez has gone on to launch her solo career, she was a judge on The X Factor, moved onto The X Factor US but was sacked three weeks later and had a falling out with Simon Cowell. Despite texting him "f—k you. F—k the UK X Factor. F—k you all. I hate you," she returned to the show four years later. Cheryl has since become a judge on BBC's The Greatest Dancer. Chez was also an ambassador for L'Oreal and in 2020 she starred in the movie Four Kids and It.And after her divorce from Ashley, Cheryl got married to Jean-Bernard Fernandez but they split in 2016. She then dated Liam Payne and despite splitting in 2018 they're now co-parenting their son Bear Grey Payne.
3 of 10Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley was pretty unproblematic in Girls Aloud, although we can't forget when she completely backed Cheryl throwing shade at Nicole Scherzinger. Kimberley also didn't seem keen on the idea of the Pussycat Dolls star launching a solo career.
4 of 10Kimberley Walsh - 2020
Post-Girls Aloud, Kimberley climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009 to raise money for Comic Relief, she has presented on TV and in 2012 she starred on Strictly Come Dancing and came runner up alongside her professional partner Pasha Kovalev. She's also married her long-term partner Justin Scott and they're parents to Bobby and Cole.
5 of 10Nadine Coyle
After Girls Aloud split in 2013, Nadine made it clear that it was not her idea. "You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn't stop them. I had the best time & want to keep going," she tweeted at the time.
6 of 10Nadine Coyle - 2020
Nadine has pretty much become a meme after the nation discovered how she says "flour" on Sunday Brunch. She launched her own solo career, took part in I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2019 and following a brief split from her fiancé Jason Bell they went on to have a child and tie the knot. Unfortunately they split months before she flew out to the jungle.
7 of 10Sarah Harding
Sarah was definitely the funniest of the group. Remember at the Brit Awards in 2009 when Girls Aloud won Best Single for The Promise and Sarah shouted down the microphone, "Can I just say, it's about timmmeee… I think I just wet myself." Obsessed.
8 of 10Sarah Harding - 2018
Sarah has starred on Coronation Street as Joni Preston, she won Celebrity Big Brother 2017 and in 2017 it came to light that she allegedly had an affair with Danny Dyer back in the day. She also got engaged to DJ Tom Crane but they called off their wedding and in 2011 she entered rehab for alcohol dependence and depression.
9 of 10Nicole Roberts
Remember when Matt Willis called Nicola a "rude ginger b-tch" and she hit back but writing 'I'm a rude ginger b-tch… bothered!' on her shorts? Now that's iconic.
10 of 10Nicola Roberts - 2020
Nicola has also launched her solo career and she won the first series of The Masked Singer UK.
With The X Factor axed and The Greatest Dancer unlikely to return – Cheryl was a dance captain on the show, before it was cancelled after two series – she’s looking for a new project to get her back in the limelight, including daytime TV.
“Some of her mates are worried that being on daytime telly would lose Cheryl her cool factor and put her pop career in jeopardy, but she realises that ship has sailed,” we’re told.
“The pop industry is brutal, and she doesn’t want to put all her energy into new music that doesn’t make much of a dent in the charts. She wants to do something where she sees results. Producers feel like Cheryl needs to remind viewers of that warm personality they fell in love with on The X Factor. Since becoming a mother, Cheryl has only become more relatable and down to earth, and she wants to share that with the public on a daytime TV or chat show of her own.”
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Cheryl recently shared a behind-the-scenes video of her photo shoot with Feel, and while she attributes how good she looks to the supplements, our insider also reveals she’s been focusing on an image upgrade.
“Cheryl has never felt better within herself after signing the big money deal with Feel vitamins, and she’s given her whole body and image a revamp,” our source explains. “She’s probably spent about £50,000 on a new wardrobe, hair, treatments and just generally getting her body and mind in the best condition. She feels ready to fully come back in the spotlight and can’t wait to see what the future has in store.”
Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.