Time was when Cheryl was invincible – every song she sang became a hit, every outfit she wore sold out in seconds, and her weekly judging stint on The X Factor charmed the nation.
But it’s been over a decade since those glory days, and these days she lives a pretty quiet life with her three-year-old son Bear, while any recent attempts to revive her career haven't worked out as she'd hoped. Her most recent single failed to even break the UK top 50, while The Greatest Dancer, which promised to be her big telly comeback, was cancelled earlier this year.
So, what’s a girl to do…throw in the towel?
Not our Cheryl. Instead, she’s reaching out to the man who launched her career into the stratosphere in the first place, the one and only Simon Cowell. And luckily for her, the showbiz supremo – who was seen out for the first time last week after breaking his back in August after falling off his electric bike – happens to have some extra time on his hands as he continues to recover.
Check out: Cheryl's transformation timeline
Cheryl Cole before and after: Girls Aloud singer's worst outfits ever
1 of 403rd January 2002
Pre the days of hair straighteners, make-up, eyebrow shaping and teeth whitening
2 of 409th January 2002
We can only imagine she was paid a lot of money to wear this leather beanie
3 of 409th February 2002
Warning: Highly flammable
4 of 4010th February 2002
Back in the Popstars: The Rivals days it was apparently a crime not to wear burgundy
5 of 403rd March 2002
Toilet roll = an excellent trim for a boring pink shirt
6 of 4017th October 2002
That sheepskin rug came in handy in the end then
7 of 4011th November 2002
Jewelled denim is only acceptable on members of B*Witched
8 of 4016th November 2002
Did that corset just not fit correctly? Is that why it's wrapped over again?
9 of 4029th January 2003
Combat trousers, a fur gilet and heels should only ever be reserved for the lives of Gwen Stefani
10 of 4014th May 2003
Ouch and OUCH
11 of 4021st June 2003
Going to a rave with those glowstick bangles, Chezza?
12 of 4020th September 2003
After using 10 cans of Elnett, Cheryl opted for this look at the Disney Kids Awards in 2003. Not setting a good fashion example to children, now are we?
13 of 408th December 2003
Chery's actually done very well fashioning an outfit out of day-release chic. Check the chain and belt
14 of 407th April 2004
Cheryl stopped off at Walford market for some last minute accessories
15 of 4014th December 2004
Flares and hoodies were our favourite items when we were 14 too
16 of 4024th January 2005
Looking very happy despite losing all the buttons on her shirt
17 of 4013th March 2005
No, Cheryl was not on an exotic holiday. She was just at the Embassy Club in London
18 of 4023rd March 2005
Words fail us
19 of 4030th June 2005
Since when did 2005 even produce those geriatric heels?
20 of 4023rd July 2005
That's it, hitch up that skirt until it disaappears please
21 of 4018th August 2005
That poor cardigan has been stretched to oblivion
22 of 403rd December 2005
What lovely velvet knickers you have. We're pretty sure they're meant to go under your tights
23 of 4012th February 2006
Is that a bra? Or part of the dress? Either way it's not looking good
24 of 403rd April 2006
All dolled up for a night in Vegas. Except she's actually at the London premiere for Alien Autopsy
25 of 4021st May 2006
We can't say we've ever seen a whole roll of Sellotape put to such use before, but each to their own
26 of 409th June 2006
Deck shoes, a 90s style work shirt and a Mulberry = all a bit too try hard, Chezza
27 of 4012 June 2006
When Victoria Beckham invites you out to dins, it's probably best not to channel your inner teenage school hair 'do
28 of 4025th June 2006
What a classy look! Er, NOT
29 of 402nd July 2006
All white there, Cheryl?
30 of 4011th July 2006
You won't be floating on cloud nine in that bedsheet, love
31 of 407th September 2006
We can't imagine a more unflattering colour/material existing
32 of 409th October 2006
Now, Cheryl. It's not really acceptable to go around steeling children's hoodies is it?
33 of 4030th October 2006
Cheryl also wore this exact outfit to the Pride of Britain Awards in 2006 so it obviously wasn't a one-time style slip-up. Repeat offender!
34 of 4025th November 2006
Looking suspiciously like she's off to the prom for Kimberley Walsh's birthday party
35 of 409th December 2006
We didn't realise Chez was once an extra on Little Britain
36 of 4018th December 2006
We're not sure this is what power dressing shoule mean, Cheryl
37 of 403rd June 2007
Thank goodness this was a Girls Aloud private party. At least the majority of the world wasn't subjected to this atrocity
38 of 4016th September 2007
An old pair of nude tights is NEVER gonig to make a nice top
39 of 4021st November 2007
The glare from that frock seems to have scared everyone off
40 of 4010th December 2007
Definitely too sequined for school at the St Trinian's film premiere in London
“Simon is incredibly loyal to Cheryl and has told her he won’t give up on her,” says an insider close to the 37-year-old singer, who saw her career skyrocket after Simon enlisted her as an X Factor judge in 2008. “She hates to be leaning on him while he’s still in some pain, but she’s really hoping he can help her. He’s encouraging her to come and visit him in LA and bring Bear along for the ride, so they can get down to plotting her future.”
Cheryl has always looked up to Simon as a friend and mentor, but their bond was seriously tested in 2011 when he hired and then swiftly fired her from the US . She’s since referred to him as her “frenemy” and, heat is told, has never quite forgiven him for publicly humiliating her. But according to our source, Simon is desperate to make things right, and reckons that now is the perfect time redeem himself.
“Simon still feels bad about the US X Factor and he can see that Cheryl has been struggling for a while now,” we’re told. “He’s told her that she has a bright future ahead, but she needs to let go of the pop career and concentrate on television. It’s a tough pill for Cheryl to swallow but she’ll take it from Simon – if there’s one thing she knows about him, it’s that he tells the truth.”
Read more in the new issue of heat magazine - OUT NOW.