The drama behind Cheryl’s BRITS no-show

Is it all over for Cheryl? Her no-show at the BRITS may have been the beginning of the end

She was once the VIP everyone wanted at their showbiz party, after racking up a string of number one hits and stealing the show on The X Factor. But these days, it’s a different story for Cheryl: her long-awaited comeback single flopped and, despite her return to prime-time TV on The Greatest Dancer, she’s not commanding the attention she once did.

Oh, and to top it all off, her ex Liam Payne’s new relationship with some model called Naomi Campbell is on everyone’s lips. So, it’s unsurprising that, under such circumstances, the singer skipped the Brits last week – according to insiders, she simply couldn’t bear any further humiliation.

“Cheryl wasn’t nominated for anything, but she had planned to go,” a source close to the 35 year old tells heat.

“She really should have been there to network at the after-parties, but she’s just too stubborn. She was also worried about being humiliated if Liam was there with Naomi.

"Cheryl never allows herself to be upstaged, and she knows her attendance would have been all about whether she bumped into them or not. She acted like she didn’t care, but her friends say she was really worried she’d be the butt of jokes by [presenter] Jack Whitehall and that people would be gossiping.

"She was planning to go, but then decided not to at the last minute.”

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Last year, Cheryl and Liam’s attendance at the event was all people could talk about – especially as they were fighting off speculation that they were on the verge of splitting. So this year, heat were told she was fully anticipating comparisons, not to mention merciless ribbing from Jack, who’s not afraid to rip the proverbial out of guests – last year, he teased Cheryl and Liam about their sex life.

And with her ex presenting an award, heat were told she just didn’t want to take the chance of getting dragged into any quips about his new romance. Although Naomi wasn’t there either, Jack did make a gag about her and Liam, so heat were told she feels vindicated in not going.

The insider adds. “Cheryl’s always thinking about how things will look – she hates being upstaged and feeling like she’s in Liam’s shadow. For her, the Brits was a no-win situation."