It’s been two years since she mentored them through the judges' houses and the live shows, all the way to second place in 2015's series of the X Factor. But for Cheryl and her boys, Ghanaian music duo Reggie 'N' Bollie, it seems that time doesn't change a thing, as they reveal in an exclusive chat with HELLO! just how close they still are to the 34-year-old pop star.
"We always say Cheryl is like a big sister to us, our friendship has always been great, she's going to be our friend forever" the duo gush, adding that Cheryl has always gone above and beyond in helping them achieve their dreams.
"I think she was more than family to us, giving us gifts, getting gifts for our children, our wives… She gives a lot of advice, and she's always looking for opportunities for us, it means a lot to us that she’s still in touch with us and looks out for us."
It was Reggie 'N' Bollie's turn to bring out the gifts as they both confirm they received an invite to her family and friend’s-only birthday do, a magical garden party hosted by her boyfriend Liam Payne, 23.
Liam Payne throws Cheryl a beautiful garden party for her birthday – see the pictures!
"We did enjoy it, and it was a lot of fun… we were very privileged to be there" they reveal, adding that it was all the more special given that it was a "very private party."
But all their partying won’t be getting in the way of any upcoming musical ventures. The pair, who recently parted ways with Simon Cowell's label SYCO to start their own record label, F.R.O.D Music, revealed their upcoming album is "95% done" adding that they're "just planning to wrap up the documentation side of things, make sure everything is in place and then... boom".
They've also been keeping busy with a new campaign for StirrUpSummer.com, which will see them swap the stage for the world of horse racing as they compose a rap over a horse race.
"It's an amazing thing and we're happy about it, we just want to see a lot more younger people involved because it’s a very interesting sport event so it would be good for everyone to be a part of it."
To compete against Reggie 'N' Bollie and win big in their commentary challenge go to stirrupsummer.com and find out more about how under 18s go racing free this summer.