Cheryl, famously known as one fifth of successful girl group Girls Aloud and an award-winning solo artist, has over the years acclaimed both popularity and a substantial fortune, whilst always managing to maintain her iconic 'girl next door' image. According to Spears the mum-of-one has an impressive estimated net worth of £20million. But where did her career begin?
Rise to fame
The Geordie singer and television personality rose to fame after appearing in hit 2002 television show Popstars: The Rivals. The series aired following the success of Popstars, which formed winning group Hear'say. The spin off: The rivals, created two competing groups, Girls Aloud and One True Voice who battled for the Christmas Number One in the official charts. It was announced live in the final episode on the 22 December 2002 that it was in fact Girls Aloud who had reached number one and thus won the competition with their smash hit Sound of the Underground.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCheryl rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud
After the TV series ended, Girls Aloud, comprised of Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts, Sarah Harding, Nadine Coyle and of course Cheryl herself, went on to achieve twenty consecutive top ten singles in the United Kingdom and four number ones. The girls also won a Brit Award in 2009 for Best Single after the success of their hit single The Promise. Shortly after their award, it was announced by The Times, that the group were the highest-earning UK reality television stars, after collating a fortune of £25million by May 2009. Their fortune continued to increase, peaking at £30million after Cheryl Cole appeared on The X Factor as a judge.
Life after Girls Aloud…
Solo Career
Sadly in 2013, the group announced their split following their Ten: The Hits Tour, their sixth tour following their three-year hiatus. Cheryl had already begun to create a name for herself as a solo artist in 2009 after releasing Fight for This Love which hit the UK number one shortly after it was released. The hit song was part of the album 3 Words that has since gone 3x Platinum, shortly after in 2010, Parachute was released, Cheryl's third consecutive solo UK top five hit, and it was even nominated for a Brit Award. The 35-year-old's musical success only excelled after releasing three more studio albums: Messy Little Raindrops, A Million Lights and Only Human. After the release of these albums it was confirmed that Cheryl had become the first British female solo artist to achieve five number one singles including I Don't Care, Crazy Stupid Love, Call my name, Promise This and Fight For This Love. In July 2018, Cheryl released her first single from her fifth studio album Love Made Me Do It which achieved number 19 in the UK charts.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe group announced their split in 2013
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The X Factor
Cheryl became a judge on The X Factor in 2008, replacing Sharon Osbourne, where she mentored Alexandra Burke to the winning title. The following year she aided Joe McElderry to his win as The X Factor champion 2009. Then in 2011, the television personality joined the panel of The X Factor US. However, this opportunity was short lived as before the first show had even aired the decision was made for Cheryl to take a step back. Simon explained to Radio Times that after filming one day of auditions it was clear the singer was not herself, stating: "She was nervous, shy, not in her comfort zone. She'd put on a bit of weight, but not loads... That wasn't the issue. The only way I can describe it is that it wasn't Cheryl sitting in that seat. She'd lost her confidence." In 2014, Simon asked Cheryl to return to the UK version for series 11 and 12.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCheryl starred on The X Factor in series 11 and 12
L'Oreal
Recently it was announced that L'Oreal had ended their partnership with Cheryl after nine years as their UK spokesmodel. The Newcastle-born star had been the face of the brand since 2009 when she was offered a multi-million pound deal whilst judging on The X Factor. Cheryl spoke to the Daily Mail following the news, explaining: "I have had an amazing experience as L'Oreal Paris' UK spokesmodel for the past nine years and have loved working with the team over there. It always felt like more than a partnership and I would like to thank them for all the opportunities it has afforded me."
© Photo: Getty ImagesCheryl was an ambassador for L'Oreal
The Greatest Dancer
The Greatest Dancer is a British dance competition series that premiered on BBC One on 5 January 2019. The show, successful for the diversity of dance styles it encompasses, allows dancers of any age to perform on stage in a bid to win over the audience for the chance to win £50,000 and the opportunity to perform on Strictly Come Dancing. Alongside Cheryl, Matthew Morrison and Oti Mabuse star as fellow Dance Captains energetically supporting the acts.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCheryl is now a dance captain on The Greatest Dancer
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Cheryl's relationships
In 2004, Cheryl famously began dating England and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole, the couple married in Hertfordshire in 2006. Only two years later, in 2008, Ashley famously cheated on Cheryl for the first time. It wasn't long after the couple had decided to give their marriage another go that in January 2010 it was revealed that Ashley had cheated on the singer once again with four more women. In February 2010, Cheryl announced their split and in May she filed for divorce.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCheryl and her first husband Ashley Cole
In 2014, after three months of dating, Cheryl wed Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, a French restaurateur. Less than a year after their marriage, the pair went their separate ways. In October 2016, Cheryl divorced her second husband, but had been dating Liam Payne since December 2015.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe singer with her second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini
In March 2017, Cheryl had her first child with Liam Payne. The British singer and songwriter rose to fame after being a member of The X Factor's most successful band, One Direction. The pair only officially confirmed the news that they would be parents in February, after Cheryl uploaded a picture on Twitter of her holding a bump whilst on a shoot in collaboration with The Prince's Trust and L'Oreal Paris. However, just over a year after their baby Bear was born, the couple separated. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Cheryl explained how Liam had struggled coming to terms with the strong bond that she had formed with Bear and Liam felt pushed out of their relationship.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCheryl and the father of her child, Liam Payne
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