Cheryl Cole

Cheryl Ann Cole (née Tweedy) is a founding member of the successful British pop group Girls Aloud, and a television personality. She is married to the British footballer Ashley Cole.

Cheryl was born on 30th June 1983 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and has four brothers and sisters.

She had an interest in performing from an early age, but came to the attention of the public when she auditioned for the UK reality TV show, Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. She proved popular on the show and was the first member placed in Girls Aloud.

Controversy

Cole has been prominently featured in the tabloid press. She was involved in a fracas with a nightclub toilet attendant in Guildford on 11 January 2003. The case went to court and she was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, but cleared of racially aggravated assault.

She has also been very vocal about other singers and personalities. Cheryl once notoriously referred to Lily Allen as a "chick with a dick" and had a long running feud with Charlotte Church after claiming Church was copying Girls Aloud's sound.

X Factor

Cheryl was officially revealed on 10 June 2008 as a judge on the 2008 series of X Factor, replacing Sharon Osbourne. Osbourne had personally recommended Cheryl to replace her on the series when she quit following a debate over her fee.

Cheryl was given the Under 25 girls category, featuring Laura White, Diana Vickers and eventual winner of the series Alexandra Burke, repeating the feat of Dannii Minogue the previous series by securing the winning act in their first year as a judge.

Personal Life

Cheryl married the footballer Ashley Cole in July 2006 in Barnet Hertfordshire. The couple almost broke up over allegations in the tabloids that he had slept with a hairdresser named Aimee Walton, but have apparently overcome this and remain together.