Cheryl Cole

Cheryl (born Cheryl Ann Tweedy) is an English singer, television personality and former member of Girls Aloud, one of the UK’s most successful girl groups of the 2000s. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Cheryl trained in dance from a young age, including ballet and sequence dancing, and attended summer programs at the Royal Ballet School.

Cole rose to fame in 2002, when she won a spot in Girls Aloud through the ITV reality competition Popstars: The Rivals. The group became the best-selling British girl group of the 21st century, earning a string of hit singles including “Sound of the Underground” and “The Promise.” She later launched a successful solo career with the albums 3 Words (2009), Messy Little Raindrops (2010) and A Million Lights (2012). Her debut solo single, “Fight for This Love,” debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. She also became a household name as a judge on The X Factor from 2008 to 2017.

In 2024, the singer reunited with Girls Aloud for a reunion tour in the UK and Ireland.

Cole married Ashley Cole in 2006 and the pair divorced in 2010. She later married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2014 before they split in 2016. From 2016 to 2018, she was in a relationship with Liam Payne. The former couple welcomed son Bear in 2017. Payne died on October 16, 2024, after falling from his hotel balcony.