Cheryl | |
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Born | Cheryl Ann Tweedy 30 June 1983 Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2002–present |
Works | |
Television | |
Spouses | |
Partner | Liam Payne (2016–2018) |
Children | 1 |
Musical career | |
Also known as |
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Genres | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Labels | |
Member of | Girls Aloud |
Website | cherylofficial |
Cheryl Ann Tweedy [1] (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. Named the United Kingdom's best-selling girl group of the 21st century in 2012, Girls Aloud amassed a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles (including four number ones), two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum-selling studio albums, and five Brit Award nominations, winning Best Single for "The Promise" in 2009. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2013, before reuniting for a tour in 2024.
While still in Girls Aloud, Cheryl began a solo career in April 2009, and between then and 2014, she released four studio albums – 3 Words (2009), Messy Little Raindrops (2010), A Million Lights (2012) and Only Human (2014). Collectively, the albums spawned ten singles, five of which – "Fight for This Love", "Promise This", "Call My Name", "Crazy Stupid Love" and "I Don't Care" – reached the top position on the UK Singles Chart. Cheryl was the first British female solo artist to have five number-one singles in the UK, and she held the record until Jess Glynne overtook her in 2018.
Cheryl became a judge on the UK version of the television talent show The X Factor in 2008. She mentored two of the eventual winners of the competition (Alexandra Burke in series five and Joe McElderry in series six), before resigning in 2011 after series seven and joining the panel of the US version of the series, which she left during the auditions stage. She returned to judge series eleven and twelve of the UK series in 2014 and 2015. Cheryl next served as a judge on the television dance competition The Greatest Dancer from 2019 to 2020, and made her stage debut in the West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2023.
Cheryl has become a recognised and photographed style icon, being referred to as a "fashionista" by the press. She has been photographed for the covers of British Vogue , Elle and Harper's Bazaar , and fronted cosmetic company L'Oréal from 2009 to 2018.
Cheryl Ann Tweedy [2] was born in Newcastle upon Tyne on 30 June 1983, [3] and grew up on council estates in the suburbs of Walker [4] and Heaton. She is the fourth of five children of Joan Callaghan, [5] and the first of her two children with Garry Tweedy following the collapse of her marriage to the father of her three other children. Cheryl's parents were together for more than a decade but never married; they separated when she was 11 years old. [6] Cheryl's paternal line originates from Tyneside. [7] Among her paternal ancestry were a number of coal miners and several mariners. [7] Her maternal grandmother, Olga Ridley, was one of twin girls born to Edith Annie Burton, the housekeeper for a widower named Joseph Ridley who already had a number of children from his marriage. Joseph Ridley had fought in World War I in the Durham Light Infantry as a Pioneer in France and before the war had been a grocery warehouseman. [7]
At the age of seven, Cheryl appeared in a television advertisement for British Gas. [8] Interested in dancing from an early age, she began sequence dancing at the age of four, [9] and participated in a short summer holiday course at the Royal Ballet School's Summer School at the age of nine. [10] She occasionally appeared doing dance recitals on different television shows in the UK, such as Gimme 5 , in 1993. [11]
Cheryl auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, which aimed to create a boy band and a girl group to compete for the Christmas number one spot on the UK Singles Chart. She sang "Have You Ever" in her audition, [12] and was one of twenty contestants (ten girls and ten boys) chosen as finalists by judges Pete Waterman, Louis Walsh and Geri Halliwell. The finalists performed live on Saturday evenings, with one gender performing each week, and each week the contestant polling the fewest phone votes was eliminated, until the final line-ups of the five-piece groups emerged. Cheryl was in danger of elimination twice, surviving over Emma Beard [13] and Aimee Kearsley [14] in consecutive performing weeks. On 30 November 2002, she was the first contestant to qualify for the girl group, and was joined by Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh to form Girls Aloud, following the final public vote. [15] The group's debut single "Sound of the Underground" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the 2002 Christmas number one over boy band One True Voice's "Sacred Trust / After You're Gone". [16] Girls Aloud hold the record for the shortest time between being formed as a band and achieving a number one single. [17]
Girls Aloud released their debut album Sound of the Underground in May 2003, [18] which entered the charts at number two and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) later the same year. Their singles "I'll Stand by You", "Walk This Way", and "The Promise" charted at number one. Two of their albums reached the top of the UK Albums Chart: their greatest hits album The Sound of Girls Aloud and 2008's Out of Control , both of which entered the chart at number one, with over one million copies of the former being sold. [19] They also achieved seven certified albums and were nominated for five Brit Awards, winning the 2009 Best Single for "The Promise". [20] The group's musical style was pop, but throughout their career they experimented with electropop and dance-pop. Girls Aloud's collaborations with Brian Higgins and his songwriting and production team Xenomania earned the group critical acclaim, [21] due to an innovative approach to mainstream pop music.
The group amassed a fortune of £30 million by May 2010. Guinness World Records listed them as "Most Successful Reality TV Group" in the 2007 edition. They also held the record for "Most Consecutive Top Ten Entries in the UK by a Female Group" in the 2008 edition, and were credited again for "Most Successful Reality TV Group" in the 2011 edition. The group was also named the United Kingdom's biggest selling girl group of the 21st century, with over 4.3 million singles sales and 4 million albums sold in the UK alone. [22] [23] Girls Aloud took a hiatus in 2009 in the pursuit of solo projects, saying they would reunite for a new studio album in 2010, [24] but this did not materialise.
In 2008, Cheryl replaced Sharon Osbourne as a judge for the fifth series of The X Factor UK alongside creator Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Louis Walsh. She was given the girls category (made up of female solo contestants aged 16 to 24) and subsequently became the winning judge and mentor when Alexandra Burke was crowned the winner of series five on 13 December. [25] She returned for the sixth series in 2009 and was given the boys category (made up of male solo contestants aged 16 to 24). [26] She was the winning judge for a second consecutive year when Joe McElderry won on 13 December. [27] Cowell referred to her as "one of the best I've ever worked with." [28] Cheryl returned for the seventh series in 2010 and mentored the girls category again. [29] This was the first series in which she was not the winning mentor, when Rebecca Ferguson finished as runner-up to Matt Cardle, who was mentored by Minogue. [30]
In 2011, Cheryl joined Cowell, L.A. Reid, and Paula Abdul on the judging panel of the US version of The X Factor. [31] After a three-week stint she departed the series. [32] Cowell said the reason she left was that he offered her a judging seat on the eighth series of the UK show and he felt that she would have been more comfortable there. [33] Cheryl did not return to the UK show, as Tulisa had taken her place on the UK judging panel and Cheryl was unwilling to be a judge on the UK show without Cowell. [34] Nicole Scherzinger replaced her on the judging panel of the American version for the rest of season one. [35] In December 2012, Cheryl sued the American producers of The X Factor for $2.3 million (£1.4m). She received $1.8 million (£1.1m) for the 2011 US series, and then sued for $2 million (£1.25m) for the second season, plus additional damages. [36] In November 2013, Cheryl won for her settlement, for an undisclosed amount between her and producers Blue Orbit. [37]
Cheryl's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" in 2008. She was picked to appear as a dancer in the video after taking streetdancing classes during the filming of ITV2 series The Passions of Girls Aloud . [38] She was later asked by will.i.am to sing additional vocals on the track. [39] In April 2009, she started working on solo material, [40] and her debut album, 3 Words , was released in the UK on 26 October. [41] The album spent two weeks at number one, [42] and on 6 November, BPI certified the album platinum, denoting shipments of over 300,000 units; it later tripled this feat. [43] The first single from the album, "Fight for This Love", was written by Andre Merritt, Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins, and produced by Kipner and Wilkins. Following a performance on The X Factor live results show, "Fight for This Love" entered the UK and Irish charts at number one, [44] and in 2010, it went to number one in Denmark, Norway and Hungary, [45] and was later certified platinum in the UK. [43] It also became the fourth best-selling single of 2009 in the UK. [46] Cheryl's second single, "3 Words", which features will.i.am, went to number four in the UK and seven in Ireland. [47] [48] In 2010, the single was released in Australia and charted at number five, and was certified platinum. [49] The third single, "Parachute", charted in the top five in both the UK and Ireland, and was certified gold in the UK. [50] [48] [43]
Cheryl started recording sessions for her second album in February 2010, [51] though in an interview on Alan Carr: Chatty Man , she said that some of the songs submitted for the record dated back to 3 Words. [52] The album was largely produced by Wayne Wilkins [53] and released on 29 October 2010 under the title Messy Little Raindrops . It features guest vocals from August Rigo, Dizzee Rascal, Travie McCoy, and will.i.am, [54] and debuted at number one in the UK, and at number two in Ireland. [50] [48] It received generally mixed reviews from music critics, with a positive review of four out of five stars from Jon O'Brien of AllMusic. [55] On 19 August 2011, the album was certified platinum by BPI, with shipments in the UK exceeding 300,000. [43] The album's first single, "Promise This", is an up-tempo dance-pop song written by Wilkins, Priscilla Hamilton and Christopher Jackson, [56] [57] which was released on 24 October 2010 and became her second number-one in the UK where it was certified gold. [58] "The Flood" was released as the album's second single and entered the charts after its official release at number 18. [50]
Cheryl was given a one-off television programme for ITV1, Cheryl Cole's Night In , which aired on 19 December 2009. [59] The programme, hosted by Holly Willoughby, featured music and interviews with Cheryl and some of her favourite performers. Alexandra Burke, Rihanna, Will Young, Snow Patrol and will.i.am made appearances. [60] The programme attracted 5 million viewers on its first airing. [61]
From May to July 2010, Cheryl was the opening act for the Black Eyed Peas at the British shows (as well as some European dates) of The E.N.D. World Tour. [62] [63] [64] Cheryl was interviewed during an episode of the fourth series of Piers Morgan's Life Stories , in which she discussed her marriage and divorce with Ashley Cole and her life-threatening battle with malaria. The show, which aired on 23 October 2010, drew an audience of 7.2 million, the highest figure in the chat show's history. [65]
Cheryl's third studio album, A Million Lights , was released on 18 June 2012. [66] It debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 34,934 copies in its first week on sale, and was her first not to debut at number one in the UK and her first not to sell over 100,000 copies in its first week. [67] Her debut album 3 Words sold 125,000 copies while its follow-up Messy Little Raindrops sold around 105,000 copies. [67] A Million Lights was certified gold in the UK for shipments of 100,000 copies. [43] Its lead single, "Call My Name" became Cheryl's third number one single on the UK Singles Chart, with the sales of 152,001 digital copies. The song became 2012's fastest selling number one single on the UK Singles Chart until December of the same year, [68] when the winner of the 2012 series of The X Factor UK, James Arthur, sold 490,560 copies with his cover of Shontelle's "Impossible". [69] "Call My Name" sold a total of 417,000 copies in the UK. [70] "Under the Sun", the second single from the album, was released on 2 September 2012, [71] and peaked at number 13, becoming her seventh consecutive solo top-twenty single.
Cheryl promoted A Million Lights by embarking on her first solo concert tour, A Million Lights Tour. The tour ran from 3 to 17 October 2012, and comprised 11 show dates: two in Ireland, one in Scotland and eight in England. She also did a set of meet and greets at each concert. The £350 offer included an autograph, a chance to meet her and a photograph with her backstage, with proceeds going towards her charity, The Cheryl Cole Foundation. The meet and greet ticket drew negative criticism from fans, who complained about the high price. [72] [73]
On 4 June 2012, Cheryl performed a duet with Gary Barlow at the Diamond Jubilee Concert, which was organised and created by Barlow as part of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II and watched by millions worldwide. [74] [75] In 2012, Cheryl returned to The X Factor UK as an assistant for Barlow at the judges' houses stage to help him select his contestants for the live shows of the competition. In November 2012, she was handed her own documentary entitled Cheryl: Access All Areas, which attracted 811,000 viewers on ITV2 and 177,000 on +1. [76]
In November 2012, after months of speculation, Girls Aloud reunited for the group's 10th anniversary. On 18 November, they released their comeback single, "Something New", which was also the official charity single for Children in Need 2012 . The single peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. [77] The group released their second greatest hits compilation, Ten , on 26 November 2012. The second single taken from Ten, "Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me", was released on 17 December. [78] A documentary entitled Girls Aloud: Ten Years at the Top aired on ITV1 on 15 December [79] and attracted 2.3 million viewers, a 10.5% share of the audience. [80] In 2013, the group embarked on Ten: The Hits Tour. [81] [82] In March 2013, following the completion of the tour, Girls Aloud released a statement to confirm that they were splitting permanently. [83] [84]
In June 2014, Cheryl debuted the first single from her fourth studio album Only Human , "Crazy Stupid Love", which features Tinie Tempah. [85] Later in the month, she performed at Capital FM's Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium. [86] "Crazy Stupid Love" was officially released in July and entered the UK Singles Chart at number one, selling 118,000 copies. It became Cheryl's fourth number one single on the chart, making her the third British female artist to achieve four numbers ones as a solo artist, after Geri Halliwell and Rita Ora. [87] The song also peaked at number one in Ireland. [48] The second single from Only Human, "I Don't Care", was released on 2 November and similarly to its predecessor debuted at number one in the UK, becoming Cheryl's fifth number one in the country. This made her the first British female to have five solo number one singles in the UK, and she held the record for the British female solo artist with the most UK number-one singles until Jess Glynne overtook her in 2018. [88] [89]
Only Human was released on 10 November and became Cheryl's fourth solo album to debut within the top 10 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. [50] [48] It was later certified silver in the UK. [43] The album's title track was released as its third and final single in March 2015. The song, which originally peaked at number 70 as an album cut in October 2014, failed to reach the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart upon the single's release, therefore becoming Cheryl's lowest-charting single to date. [90]
In 2014, the singer also returned as a judge on the UK show of The X Factor for its eleventh series to replace Sharon Osbourne, signing a £1.5 million contract. [91] [92] She was joined by Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Mel B on the judging panel. She was again selected to mentor the girls category, with her final act Lauren Platt coming fourth. In 2015, Cheryl returned to The X Factor for its twelfth series; she was joined by Cowell and new judges Ora and Nick Grimshaw. [93] She was selected to mentor the groups category for the first time and her last remaining group Reggie 'n' Bollie reached the final finishing in second place. Cheryl announced her departure from The X Factor in April 2016, choosing to focus on her music career and was replaced by Osbourne. [94] She appeared in the fourteenth series as Cowell's adviser during the judges' houses stage. [95]
In July 2018, Cheryl stated that her fifth studio album was "pretty much finished", and revealed that she worked on the record with Naughty Boy and her former bandmate Nicola Roberts with whom she co-wrote every song. [96] Later that year, she signed with 3 Beat to release new music, and announced that she would release a series of singles before releasing a full-length album. [97] The first single, "Love Made Me Do It", was released in November 2018. [98] Upon its release, Cheryl hinted in an interview with The Guardian that if her new material were to underperform she would retire from music. [99] Cheryl's comeback was met with intense media scrutiny, and the single failed to make an impact in the charts peaking at number 19 in the UK and number 32 in Ireland. [48] [100] [101] Her live performance of the song on the fifteenth series of The X Factor UK was widely criticised in the media, with viewers arguing that its "overtly [ sic ] sexual nature" was inappropriate for pre-watershed television. [100] [102] The follow-up single, "Let You", was released in May 2019 and peaked at number 57 in the UK. [50] [103] When asked in 2023 about her future music plans, Cheryl replied: "The industry's completely changed and I don't know if I'd fit in." [104]
Cheryl began serving as a dance captain on the BBC One dance competition The Greatest Dancer , which premiered on 5 January 2019. [105] [106] In 2020, she returned for its second series, [107] and later that year, BBC One said there were no plans to continue the show. [108] She played music manager Coco Rayne in Sky Cinema's 2020 adaptation of the novel Four Children and It titled Four Kids and It . [109] [110] In August 2021, Cheryl launched a 12-part podcast about R&B music titled You, Me & R&B with Cheryl on BBC Sounds, which drew criticism from some who believed that a black artist should have been given the platform to present a show about black music. [111]
On 7 December 2022, it was announced that Cheryl would be playing Jenny in the West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Lyric Theatre from 28 January to 23 April 2023. [112] In 2024, she reunited with the surviving members of Girls Aloud for a UK and Ireland tour The Girls Aloud Show to celebrate 21 years of the group and to remember their bandmate Sarah Harding who died in 2021. [113]
As a member of Girls Aloud, Cheryl teamed with Eylure to release five sets of false eyelashes, each set designed by a different member of the group. A range of festival-themed lashes followed in 2010, while limited edition "10th Anniversary" lash was released in 2012. [114] [115] Similarly, to celebrate their tenth anniversary, each member designed a charm bracelet for Pandora, available as either a complete bracelet or a "starter" bracelet. [116] From 2009 to 2018, Cheryl served as the UK spokesperson for L'Oréal. [117] [118]
Cheryl's first official book, entitled Through My Eyes, was published on 30 September 2010 by Bantam Press. [119] [120] Through My Eyes purports to show her in the recording studio, backstage on tour, behind-the-scenes at The X Factor, at photo shoots and at award ceremonies. She said the book is "filled with pictures that capture those moments, [her] memories and the people [she's] closest to". [121] She is the subject of several unauthorised biographies, [122] [123] [124] as well as books detailing her relationship with and divorce from Ashley Cole. [125] [126] [127] Her autobiography, Cheryl: My Story , was published on 11 October 2012. [128] The book's content was about her childhood, rise to fame as a member of Girls Aloud and her relationships with Simon Cowell and her ex-husband Ashley Cole. [129] [130] It has sold 275,000 copies as of February 2013 [update] , generating £2.5 million in sales. In August 2014, Cheryl released her debut fragrance, StormFlower. [131]
In 2004, Girls Aloud released a cover of the Pretenders' "I'll Stand by You" as the official single for the BBC's charity telethon Children in Need . [132] In 2007, the group announced a joint release of Aerosmith and Run DMC's "Walk This Way" with Sugababes as the official single for the UK's other major charity telethon Comic Relief. The song was recorded at Comic Relief co-founder and trustee Richard Curtis' request. [133] [134]
In March 2009, Cheryl climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief. The climb, organised by Gary Barlow, was also undertaken by fellow Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh, as well as Alesha Dixon, Fearne Cotton, Denise Van Outen, Chris Moyles, Ben Shephard, Ronan Keating and Barlow himself. [135] [136] Between 3 February and 23 March 2009, Cheryl, Walsh, Barlow, Moyles and Cotton also raised money for Comic Relief by providing the voice for the BT Speaking Clock. [137] All nine celebrities reached the summit of Kilimanjaro on Saturday, 7 March 2009. [138] Cheryl, along with Cotton, Van Outen and Shephard, reached the summit first at sunrise. The trek raised £3.5 million for the charity. In February 2011, Cheryl launched her own charitable foundation with The Prince's Trust following a meeting with The Trust's president, Charles, Prince of Wales. The Cheryl Cole Foundation has provided funds for The Trust in the North East, which was set up to help disadvantaged young people from Cheryl's region. [139] On 13 June 2011, she auctioned 20 dresses with ASOS to raise funds for the foundation. [140]
In September 2011, Cheryl became a "Forces' sweetheart" when she visited British soldiers in Afghanistan. [141] On 23 January 2015, Cheryl announced the launch of a second charity, once again alongside The Prince's Trust. The charity was named Cheryl's Trust, and was set up with the aim of raising £2 million to build a centre, which will support up to 4000 disadvantaged young people in her native city of Newcastle. [142] To raise these funds, Cheryl has thus far teamed up with Prizeo in March 2015, setting up a styling session competition, [143] and also launched a limited edition Belgian Chocolate Bar with Greggs in August 2015; 5p proceeds from each sale being donated towards the trust. [144] In November 2016, she became the ambassador of the charity Childline. [145]
Cheryl has a mezzo-soprano range. [146] She spoke about her vocal ability saying, "I am very aware of my ability, I know I'm no Mariah Carey but I think the emotion in the song is what matters." [147] In a review for her debut studio album 3 Words, Tom Ewing of The Guardian opined that "She's not as full a singer as the belters and divas she presides over each week [on The X Factor], but she's an expressive performer and a less showy backing lets that come through." [148] 3 Words is a pop and R&B record which incorporates elements of dance, disco and electropop in some of its tracks, [148] while Messy Little Raindrops was described as a combination of "anthemic dance and synth-led R&B". [55] A Million Lights, her third studio album, also incorporates R&B and dance. [149] She incorporated dubstep into A Million Lights, MTV citing "Girl in the Mirror" as an example. [150]
Cheryl has named Britney Spears and Beyoncé as a few of her inspirations, performance and fashion-wise. [151] [152] She spoke on the reason Beyoncé was an influence on her, saying, "I love Beyoncé, I just think she is such a beautiful person inside and out, apart from what she does on the stage which is obviously incredible and aspirational. I just like her as a woman. She's empowering." [153] She has cited Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, a former member of American band TLC, as another influence saying, "I wanted to be [Lopes] – I used to wear baggy jeans and Timberlands like a tomboy." [154] Other influences she has cited are Rihanna, whom she described as "a perfect pop star", [155] and Mary J. Blige, saying, "Mary's voice sounds so grown up and you can hear that she has experienced a lot in her life, her songs help me with every heartache." [156] Cheryl has influenced other artists, including Selena Gomez and Jade Thirlwall. [157] [158] The 2006 Lily Allen song "Cheryl Tweedy" was written about her. [159]
In June 2012, Cheryl performed "Call My Name" live on The Voice UK . In response to criticism about lip-syncing, she deemed it complimentary and said, "If you think my live vocal sounds so good it must be mimed, I'm happy." [160]
As a member of Girls Aloud, Cheryl was initially recognised as a teen idol. [161] She mentioned her rise to stardom: "[...] it was a really difficult transition to go through. Coming in to this industry and being an object. [...] I really struggled with that adjustment." She felt "uncomfortable" in wearing "short skirts and some outfits that were quite sexy" as a member of the group, but said "it wasn't trying to be sexual. I would never do something I didn't want to do". [162] Her relationship with footballer Ashley Cole was subject of intense media scrutiny [163] and she was labelled a football "WAG", [164] [165] a term she found "derogatory". [163]
Cheryl's popularity grew significantly during her 2008–2011 stint on The X Factor, [8] [100] and the British press called her a "nation's sweetheart". [12] [166] As a judge, she was noted for her style, "disarming compassion and sensitivity". [8] [12] The Telegraph 's Bryony Gordon dubbed her a "Princess Diana for the X Factor generation." [162] Cheryl also received criticism. In 2010, The Guardian 's Simon Hattenstone wrote about the public perception of her: "One day she might be the stoic saint coping with marital adversity or the Mother Teresa of The X Factor, smiling beatifically as her kids perform for her; the next she might be the hard-nosed bitch who lip-syncs her way through a 'live' TV performance while her X Factor wannabes have to do it for real, and who is happy to advertise L'Oréal shampoo while wearing hair extensions." [163] Alice Vincent of The Telegraph remarked that "Cheryl's career has been pockmarked by tales of demanding behaviour and superciliary attitude". [100] Gordon, however, described her as being "self-critical" and "very polite about everything". [162]
Cheryl has become a recognised and photographed style icon, [167] [168] [169] being referred to as a "fashionista" by the press. [170] During her television appearances, she wore "a string of fashion-forward outfits from Givenchy and Preen, to McQueen and Missoni." [171] In both 2009 and 2010, she was named the best dressed woman by Glamour magazine, after 14,000 votes from the magazine's readers were counted. [172] She has been photographed for the covers of British Vogue, [169] Elle and Harper's Bazaar . [11] She has won Glamour Women of the Year Awards for TV Personality and Best Dressed [173] and Style Network Award for Best Dressed Woman and Style Icon of the Decade. [167] In February 2009, she appeared on the cover of British Vogue. The media coverage of her appearance in the magazine boosted the magazine's circulation to 240,000, its best ever February figure. [174] Cheryl topped FHM 's 100 Sexiest Women in the World list in 2009 and 2010. [175] [176] In March 2010, she was declared by research company Millward Brown as the second most powerful celebrity in Britain. [177] In October 2010, a wax statue of her was added to the gallery of Madame Tussauds in London at a cost of approximately £150,000. [178] The waxwork was removed from public display in August 2019. [179]
Cheryl began dating England and then-Arsenal footballer Ashley Cole in September 2004, announcing their engagement after he proposed in Dubai in June 2005. [180] The couple were married at a ceremony at Barnet, north west London on 15 July 2006. [181] They signed an exclusive deal with OK! , reportedly worth £1 million, regarding the rights to the photographs. [182] On 23 February 2010, Cheryl announced she was separating from Cole, [183] [184] and on 26 May, she filed for divorce at London's High Court citing "unreasonable behaviour" from her estranged husband. The divorce papers state that Cole admitted being unfaithful to Cheryl with a number of other women. [185] She was granted a decree nisi on 3 September. [186] She continued to use her married name, but later began using the mononym Cheryl for her music releases. [163]
On 7 July 2014, Cheryl married French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini after a three-month courtship. [187] [188] [189] Following their separation, Cheryl began dating singer Liam Payne, whom she had previously judged as a contestant on The X Factor. [190] [191] She was later granted a decree nisi from Fernandez-Versini on 20 October 2016, [192] and the divorce was subsequently finalised. [193] On 22 March 2017, she gave birth to her son with Payne. [194] [195] [196] Cheryl and Payne announced they had ended their relationship in July 2018. [197]
On 11 January 2003, Cheryl was involved in an altercation with a nightclub toilet attendant, Sophie Amogbokpa, and subsequently charged with racially aggravated assault over the incident. [198] [161] At her trial on 20 October she was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm but cleared of the racially aggravated assault charge, [199] and sentenced to 120 hours of community service. She was ordered to pay her victim £500 in compensation, as well as £3,000 prosecution costs. Judge Richard Howard said, "This was an unpleasant piece of drunken violence which caused Sophie Amogbokpa pain and suffering." [199]
Cheryl is a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party. [163] [200] She proclaimed her support for same-sex marriage in 2012. [201]
Solo tours
As solo supporting act
Year | Award-giving body | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Best Female Singer [202] | Nominated |
Virgin Media Awards | Most Fanciable Female [203] | Won | |
2008 | Hottest Female | Nominated | |
Heat Magazine Awards | Sexiest Female | Won | |
Best Reality TV Judge | Won | ||
2009 | Glamour Women of the Year Awards | TV Personality [173] | Won |
FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World | No. 1 Sexiest Woman in the World [204] | Won | |
Style Network Awards | Best Dressed Woman [167] | Won | |
Style Icon of the Decade | Won | ||
BBC Switch Live Awards | Switch's Prom Queen [205] | Won | |
Virgin Media Awards | Hottest Female [206] | Won | |
Legend of the Year | Nominated | ||
Glamour Award for Woman of the Year | Best Dressed [207] | Won | |
2010 | 4Music Video Honours | Hottest Girl [208] | Won |
Magic Love Song ("Parachute") [208] | Won | ||
Brit Awards | British Single ("Fight for This Love") [209] | Nominated | |
Glamour Women of the Year Awards | Best Dressed [210] | Won | |
Woman of the Year | Won | ||
FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World | No. 1 Sexiest Woman in the World [211] | Won | |
BT Digital Music Awards | Best Female Artist [212] | Won | |
Best Single ("Fight for This Love") [212] | Won | ||
Best Video ("Fight for This Love") [212] | Nominated | ||
2011 | Brit Awards | British Single ("Parachute") [213] | Nominated |
Best British Female [213] | Nominated | ||
Elle Style Awards | Musician of the Year [214] | Won | |
NME Awards | Least Stylish | Nominated | |
Worst Album ( Messy Little Raindrops ) | Nominated | ||
TRL Awards | Best New Act [215] | Nominated | |
Cosmopolitan Awards | Best Dressed Woman | Won | |
BT Digital Music Awards | Best Female Artist [216] | Nominated | |
2012 | Virgin Media TV Awards | Best Judge | Won |
BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards | Best British Single [217] | Nominated | |
Best British Album [218] | Nominated | ||
Best British Music Act [219] | Nominated | ||
Female Hottie [220] | Nominated | ||
UK Music Video Awards | People's Choice ("Call My Name") [221] | Nominated | |
2013 | Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Favourite UK Female Artist | Nominated |
2014 | FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World | Hall of Fame [222] | Won |
MTV Europe Music Awards | Best UK & Ireland Act | Nominated | |
BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards | Best British Solo Act [223] | Nominated | |
Best British Single ("Crazy Stupid Love") [224] | Nominated | ||
2015 | National Television Awards | TV Judge [225] | Nominated |
2018 | Digital Spy Reader Awards | Best Singer [226] | Nominated |
2019 | Global Awards | Best Female [227] | Nominated |
Best Pop [227] | Nominated | ||
2020 | National Television Awards | TV Judge [228] | Nominated |
Girls Aloud are a British-Irish pop girl group that was created through the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The line up consisted of members Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. In 2012, the group was named as the United Kingdom's biggest selling girl group of the 21st century so far, with over 4.3 million singles sales and 4 million albums sold in the UK. The group achieved a string of twenty top-ten singles on the UK singles chart, including four number ones. They also achieved seven BPI certified albums, two of which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. They have been nominated for five Brit Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".
Nadine Elizabeth Louise Coyle is a Northern Irish singer. In 2002, she was selected as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals. The group went on to receive large success, achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum selling studio albums, and receiving nominations for five BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".
Kimberley Jane Scott is an English singer, dancer, television personality and actress. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the talent-search series Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The series announced Walsh had won a place as a member of the girl group Girls Aloud. The group achieved large success, nearly managing 20 consecutive top-10 UK singles, interrupted only by 2008 film-promotional single Theme To St Trinian's peaking at No 51; six studio albums all certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), two of which went to number one in the UK; and accumulating a total of five BRIT Award nominations. In 2009, Girls Aloud won Best Single with their song "The Promise".
Nicola Maria Roberts is an English singer and songwriter. In 2002, Roberts was selected as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals. The group went on to receive large success, achieving a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum selling studio albums, and receiving nominations for five BRIT Awards, winning Best Single in 2009 for "The Promise".
"Call the Shots" is a song by British-Irish girl group Girls Aloud from their fourth studio album, Tangled Up (2007). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, with inspiration from an article about the advance of women in business, and Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, and Giselle Somerville also received songwriting credits. Polydor Records originally intended to release it the lead single for The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits (2006); however, "Something Kinda Ooooh" was selected instead. In September 2007, "Call the Shots" leaked online, and on 26 November of the same year, it was released as the second single from Tangled Up through Fascination Records, a week after the album's release.
"The Promise" is a single by British girl group Girls Aloud, taken from their fifth and final studio album Out of Control (2008). The song was written by Brian Higgins, Miranda Cooper, Jason Resch, Kieran Jones, and Carla Marie Williams and produced by frequent contributor Higgins along with production team Xenomania. Influenced by Phil Spector and music of the 1960s, "The Promise" is an upbeat love song about falling in love uncontrollably after promising to never fall in love again.
Popstars (UK) is a British reality television show produced for ITV that aired for two series. The first series, Popstars, aimed to find five singers to form a new pop group. During the second series, Popstars: The Rivals, two music groups were formed to compete for the Christmas number-one single in the United Kingdom.
"Fight for This Love" is the debut solo single by English singer Cheryl Cole, recorded for her debut studio album, 3 Words (2009). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the lead single on 2009 by Fascination Records and in 2010 in some European countries as the album's second single through Universal Music. It was written and produced by Wayne Wilkins and Steve Kipner with an additional writing from Andre Merrit. The up-tempo pop, dance-pop and R&B song revolves around a lyrical content of not giving up on the partner.
"3 Words" is a song recorded by English singer Cheryl Cole for her 2009 debut studio album of the same name. It was released in the UK and Ireland on 20 December 2009 by Fascination Records and later in 2010 by Universal Music, serving as the lead single for 3 Words in other countries. The uptempo dance-pop song was written by Cole and George Pajon. It was also written and produced by will.i.am who has guest vocals on the song. "3 Words" was cited by Cole as her favourite song from the album for being different from what people expected.
3 Words is the debut studio album by English singer Cheryl Cole released on 23 October 2009 by Fascination Records. Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" (2008), on which she sang additional vocals. Following this, it was announced that Cole's band Girls Aloud would take a break from releasing material, having enjoyed five successful albums and twenty consecutive top-ten singles. In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material in Los Angeles and London, mainly collaborating with will.i.am, who served as executive producer of the album.
The English singer Cheryl has released four studio albums, one extended play, twelve singles, and fourteen music videos. Cheryl's first foray into a solo music career occurred when she featured on will.i.am's "Heartbreaker". After having streetdancing lessons during the filming of Passions of Girls Aloud series, Cheryl was picked to appear in the song's video. She was later asked to sing the female vocals on the UK release of the track, which reached number four in the United Kingdom and sold over 250,000 copies, giving the single a silver certificate by the BPI. It was the 31st best selling single of 2008. Cheryl's solo career began in October 2009 with the release of "Fight for This Love", the lead single from her debut studio album, 3 Words. The track saw Cheryl achieve her first solo number-one single when it topped the UK chart, while also attaining international chart success; peaking within the top 10 in the likes of France, Germany and the Netherlands. The parent album debuted at number one in the UK with sales of 125,271. On 6 November 2009 the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the album platinum. It has since gone 3× Platinum, with sales of over 1,000,000 copies. "3 Words" is both the opening and title song from her debut studio album. It was released in the UK and Ireland on 20 December 2009 went on to become Fernandez-Versini's second consecutive UK top-five and Irish-top ten hit. It was also a top five hit in Australia and has since been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association and gold by the British Phonographic Industry. "Parachute" was released on 11 March 2010 as the album's third and final single. "Parachute" became Cheryl's third consecutive solo UK top five hit, and her third Irish top 10 hit. It was nominated for a Brit Award in 2011.
"Insatiable" is the debut solo single by Irish recording artist Nadine Coyle. Co-written with Guy Chambers and produced by Ricci Riccardi, the song was released as the lead single from Coyle's debut solo album of the same name (2010). The accompanying music video for "Insatiable" was directed by Wayne Isham and features Coyle performing with a live band against various backdrops. It charted in Ireland, Scotland, the UK and charted on the European singles chart.
"Promise This" is a song by English recording artist Cheryl Cole, taken from her second studio album Messy Little Raindrops (2010). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the album's lead single on 24 October 2010 by Fascination Records. The up-tempo dance-pop song was written by American songwriter Priscilla Renea Hamilton, British music producer Wayne Wilkins, and Christopher Jackson and produced by Wilkins. The lyrics to "Promise This" reference Cole's personal life and relationships, as well as incorporating the French language. The single's release came in the aftermath of a public divorce from footballer Ashley Cole, as well as a life-threatening battle with malaria.
Messy Little Raindrops is the second studio album by English singer Cheryl Cole, released on 29 October 2010 by Fascination Records. The project is the follow-up to Cole's multi-platinum debut solo album 3 Words (2009), following seven successful years as a member of girl group Girls Aloud. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cheryl mainly worked with Wayne Wilkins, who previously produced Cole's number one debut single "Fight for This Love".
A Million Lights is the third studio album by English singer Cheryl, released on 15 June 2012 through Fascination Records. Following her divorce from Ashley Cole, this is Cheryl's first album to be released under the mononym Cheryl, dropping her married surname. The album was recorded in 2011 and 2012. As the executive producer of the album, Cheryl enlisted a variety of producers such as Alex da Kid, Calvin Harris, will.i.am, Pantha, Agent X, HyGrade, Dada Life, Jim Beanz, Taio Cruz, Mathias Wollo, The Beamer Boyz, Billy Wes, Electric, Bibi Jones and Dave Munday. Sonically, A Million Lights is a pop, dance and R&B album that draws influence from other genres such as dubstep, house and electronic music in its production.
British recording artist Cheryl has appeared in numerous music videos and films. Her videography includes ten music videos, three guest appearances in other artists' videos, two film appearances and several television appearances.
"Crazy Stupid Love" is a song recorded by British singer Cheryl Cole for her fourth studio album Only Human (2014), featuring British hip hop artist Tinie Tempah. The song was co-written by Cole, Tempah, Wayne Wilkins, Heidi Rojas, and singer-songwriter Katelyn Tarver and Kevin Anyaeji, and produced by Wilkins. It was released on 30 June 2014 as the lead single from the album, coinciding with Cole's 31st birthday. Musically, the song is a pop and R&B song with saxophones, handclaps, percussion and fingersnaps, while lyrically talks about being uncontrollably in love with someone.
Only Human is the fourth studio album by English singer Cheryl. It was released on 7 November 2014, through Polydor Records. Following a slew of media invasion, Cheryl took a one-year hiatus from music. Following her hiatus, Cheryl confirmed that Girls Aloud would reunite and release a greatest hits compilation. After its release, the group embarked on their last tour and announced their permanent split. In July 2013 Cheryl began recording Only Human; the recording was later completed in August 2014.
"I Don't Care" is a song recorded by English recording artist Cheryl from her fourth studio album, Only Human (2014). It was co-written by Jocke Åhlund, Bonnie McKee, John Stuart Newman and Cheryl, and was produced by Åhlund and Oliver "Oligee" Goldstein. The song was released on 2 November 2014 through Polydor Records as the second single from the album. Musically, "I Don't Care" is a pop and dance song, which features breezy synthesizers and pumping bassline and lyrically sees Cheryl taking on a dismissive attitude to former lovers and critics.
"Only Human" is a song by English recording artist Cheryl from her fourth studio album of the same name (2014). It was released on 22 March 2015 through Polydor Records as the third single from the album. "Only Human" is an electronic ballad, written by Matt Schwartz, Jo Perry and Cass Lowe, whilst produced by Schwartz. Lyrically, it finds Cheryl singing about the inspiration to forgive yourself for being human and live your best life in spite of everything. "Only Human" received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and called it her best ballad to date.
Her name is officially Cheryl Tweedy now, but to be honest it doesn't really bother me, we have a kid together, there's a lot more to our life.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)CHERYL COLE cements her style icon status
Cheryl's relationship with the star began after her divorce from French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016.