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Where did it all go wrong for Cheryl… and why can’t she keep hold of a man?

Cheryl Tweedy has split from Liam Payne, the father of her first child 
Cheryl Tweedy has split from Liam Payne, the father of her first child

Cheryl Tweedy – formerly Fernandez-Versini and Cole – has had almost as many UK number one singles as she has high profile break-ups. The popstar has looks and a career that would be the envy of most, but she can't seem to hold down a relationship. 

At 35, and on her third high-profile romance, it looked like Cheryl had finally settled down, with the younger Liam Payne and their one-year-old son Bear. But, this week, the couple announced their separation. Breaking Payne's heart, Cheryl said the One Direction singer had spent too much time on tour, leaving her home alone as a new mum.

Seemingly unlucky in love, Cheryl's relationship breakdowns actually speak to the experiences of most. Cheating, long distance and rushing-in have all played a part. Here are some of the way she has fought – and failed – in love.   

Attracting bad boys  

Cheryl's characteristic dimples and innocent beauty have given her no difficulty when it comes to finding a partner, but she has struggled to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Take her first marriage to footballer Ashley Cole. A year from meeting in the apartment block where they both lived separately, Cheryl and Cole were engaged to be married. By 2006, they were planning their wedding when they flew to Germany for the World Cup. Under the world's eye, the pair became adored successors to David and Victoria Beckham. Unlike Posh and Becks, who have been married for 19 years, Cheryl and Cole weren't able to shroud themselves from the attention lavished on them. 

Cheryl and Ashley Cole - Credit: Getty
Cheryl and Ashley Cole divorced in 2010 following allegations that he had cheated on her numerous times Credit: Getty

Just months after they married, Cole was accused of cheating on Cheryl with hairdresser Aimee Walton. Cheryl forgave Cole, but the pattern continued and, in 2008, allegations emerged that he had sent explicit pictures to multiple women and, in one case, been physically unfaithful again.

In 2010, Cheryl filed for divorce, citing Cole's "unreasonable behaviour" as the reason. At the time, the Daily Mail accused the couple of being "so in love with themselves" that their relationship never stood a chance. Love of the WAG life could have played a part in Cheryl staying with Cole for four years. But the relationship also shows her inability to see bad boys for what they are. 

Only fools rush in 

For someone whose Instagram bio reads "living in a love bubble", it is perhaps no surprise that Cheryl follows the rash pace of her heart when it comes to relationships. She has been known to jump into relationships, planning to move countries or get married just months after meeting. In 2014, three months after she met Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in Cannes, the pair wed.  

Cheryl with her second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini - Credit: Rex
Cheryl with her second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini Credit: Rex

The romance was destined to only ever be a whirlwind. Less than a year after they married, Cheryl and Fernandez-Versini split, with her soon beginning a relationship with Liam Payne. In October 2016, Cheryl divorced her second husband in 14 seconds, "Britain's fastest quickie divorce". Just five months later, in March 2017, she and Payne had their first child, Bear. 

Cheryl did appear to have learnt a lesson from her previous shot-gun wedding, reportedly rebuffing Payne's marriage proposals. The caution, in this one regard, didn't work, though, and the couple separated, just over a year after their baby was born.  

"The funniest was, a week before, we were getting married," said Payne. "The next week, we're splitting up." 

Long-distance curse

The strain of a long distance relationship is nothing new and the simple question always pervades: will it or won't it work? In Cheryl’s case, like many others, distance has proved the breaking factor. 

In 2010, on the rebound from her divorce with Cole, Cheryl entered a serious relationship with backing dancer Tre Holloway, who lived in the US, more than 4,000 miles away from her. The pair had been together for a year and Cheryl was planning to move to the US when the distance finally broke them. 

"Sometimes against our will life gives us two options: losing yourself or losing someone else," Holloway wrote on Twitter at the time. "Regardless of the situation, don’t lose yourself."

Cheryl and Payne  - Credit: Rex
Cheryl and Payne were together for two years before they split, with distance cited as one of the main reasons Credit: Rex

Although the couple remained friends, it was a sign of things to come for Cheryl. Soon after their first child was born, Payne went on tour to the US. The stint left Cheryl home alone for long periods, which proved too much for her to endure. Although she knew this would be a part of their relationship when they first met, and has been on such tours herself, Cheryl split from Liam. 

In the spotlight

Cheryl has been in the spotlight since she was a teenager and, following years of television appearances and live performances, she is no stranger to media attention. But this can't be said of all of her exes, for whom crossing into the celeb world has proven too much.

After their divorce, Fernandez-Versini admitted: "I married someone who was famous. I was thrust into this mad world – I didn't like it." Before meeting Cheryl, he was a restaurateur and businessman with little experience of what it was like to live under the public's gaze.

Even for her celebrity partners, like Payne, the attention sometimes proved too much to handle.

"It's difficult, obviously," Payne once said. "Having someone else who's so high-profile in the media pushes everything that I do to another level, and I think it's weird."

Compared with Cheryl, Payne could be seen as a novice when it comes to fame. Not everyone can spend more than a decade under the media's watchful eye and still say "it doesn't bother me".