Cheryl’s unlucky love life from Ashley Cole to Liam Payne as she turns 40

Cheryl was flung into the spotlight in 2002 after winning a place in Girls Aloud through ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals. Since then, her career has gone from strength to strength with a successful stint as an X Factor judge, a hit solo career and a West End role.

However, Cheryl has been making headlines for decades due to a string of short-lived romances and two failed marriages.

Ashley Cole 2004-2010

Cheryl, then Tweedy, and footballer Ashley Cole met in Princess Park Manor, North London, where Girls Aloud and many of the Arsenal players were living at the time.

He popped the question one year later during a holiday in Dubai and they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 2006.

The showbiz wedding, complete with a six-figure OK! deal, saw Cheryl and Ashley walk down the aisle in matching champagne-coloured outfits while her Girls Aloud pals were dressed in unforgettable orange bridesmaid dresses.

However, their marriage hit a bump less than two years later after Ashley’s alleged fling with hairdresser Aimee Walton.

Cheryl forgave him and her fame catapulted thanks to her role on X Factor, a L’Oreal deal and flourishing solo career.

Then, at the start of 2010, it was alleged that Ashley had cheated on Cheryl with four more women.

Their split was announced in February and the quickie divorce was finalised in September.

Discussing her heartbreak, Cheryl tearfully told Piers Morgan on Life Stories that she didn’t understand where it all “went wrong”.

She sobbed: “We had a great marriage, the most fantastic wedding, but I just don’t know where it went wrong.

“To this very day I still question this. Part of me will always love him. When I just look back at it now I just feel numb. We used to be so close but I was heartbroken.”

Derek Hough 2010

Cheryl and professional dancer Derek Hough met on set of her music video for Parachute in 2010.

While the pair were photographed regularly and he appeared alongside her family on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, Cheryl insisted they were just friends.

It is thought that they dated for around one year before the Dancing With The Stars pro eventually confirmed the relationship in 2013.

He said at a BBC Worldwide event: “We dated for a while. Absolutely we are still friends, we are still very close.

“I have met her new boyfriend, but I have heard he’s a great guy. I’m not sure she has a thing for dancers but let’s say she definitely goes for creative types.

“I don’t speak about my time with her because I think often in this culture people take advantage of their friendships. I’ve never spoken about her because her friendship is more important to me.”

Tre Holloway 2012-2013

Cheryl and backing dancer Tre Holloway got together in 2012 and he performed with her on the A Million Lights Tour.

The singer confirmed their romance in her ITV documentary, Cheryl: Access All Areas, but they ended their romance after 14 months in 2013.

It was reported that their split was a “mutual decision” as Tre lived in Los Angeles and Cheryl resided in the UK.

A source claimed to The Sun: “There’s no bad feelings. They want to remain good friends. Cheryl and Tre have tried to make it work but the long-distance relationship and work commitment got the better of them.”

Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini 2014-2016

Cheryl shocked fans when she married French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in a secret ceremony on the Caribbean island of Mustique in 2014.

They had met just three months earlier at the Cannes Film Festival and had a whirlwind romance.

Their union was short-lived and they divorced two years later citing his “unreasonable behaviour” caused her “stress and weight loss”

In the aftermath, JB said it had been a “tough year” and he was “trying to move on”.

He told the Mirror in 2016: “It’s been a tough year, I’m trying to move on. I’ll never think badly of her. She is a great girl.

“I fell in love, what could I do? I didn’t know Cheryl was famous when I met her. I was having a party at my house in South Africa and she turned up, but I didn’t know who she was. I always go for very beautiful women.”

Liam Payne 2016-2018

Following her divorce, Cheryl began dating One Direction member Liam Payne. They met when Liam auditioned for The X Factor in 2008, aged 14.

Cheryl and Liam made numerous loved-up appearances on red carpets and social media, and their relationship even got the approval of boss Simon Cowell.

He told The Sun in 2016: “I saw them together and we had a really nice dinner. They were on good form. They’re like two little chipmunks madly in love. They were so cute.”

Cheryl and Liam welcomed a son, Bear, in March 2017 but their romance wasn’t to last and they announced their split just over one year later.

She tweeted: “We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make.

“We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”