As an array of British stars pledged their support amid the pandemic crisis last week, Piers Morgan revealed that Cheryl has been texting him regularly, while praising the star for getting “really engaged” in the fight against coronavirus.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the presenter – who last week said that his youngest son Albert, 19, was showing “mild symptoms” of the virus – revealed how he was backing the singer’s idea to transform empty fast-food drive-thrus into safe pick-up posts for essential supplies, enthusing that her suggestion was a “great idea”. The following day, Cheryl, 36, cemented their newfound friendship by publicly wishing Piers a happy 55th birthday.
Pier’s glowing endorsement comes just 18 months after an epic rant on GMB, in which he slammed Cheryl’s split from Liam Payne – with whom she shares son Bear, three – claiming that their two-year romance wasn’t an achievement, and saying the pair should be “more honest” about their break-up.
And while it sparked rumours of a rift between the former Girls Aloud star and the outspoken daytime presenter, sources tell Closer that Cheryl is now doing her best to heal the void – with isolation giving her plenty of time for reflection.
Our source says, “It’s not just Piers – the extreme situation has made Cheryl think that trivial feuds of any kind just aren’t important. She really wants to help people in need and support those affected most by the current crisis, and isn’t afraid to get stuck in.”
Sharing her idea with fans online, Cheryl tweeted, “I have an idea… I haven’t got into any of the logistics yet but as a concept, as there are now so many drive-thru restaurants closed, could we partner them with food stores, set up an app for locals and use their drive -thrus as a safer way for ppl to shop for essentials?”
The source adds, “She initially texted Piers, because she really admired how he’s been informing people on Twitter about the seriousness of the virus. She reached out to him for guidance around her idea and so was happy to get such a positive response."
CHECK OUT Cheryl's feuds
CLOSER Cheryl's feuds - slider
Sarah Harding
There's been reports for years that there's a secret feud between Cheryl and former Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding. It probably doesn't help that neither of them have publicly supported each other. During Cheryl's stint on The X Factor, Sarah apparently said: "X Factor. What X Factor? Who knows if I'll tune in."When Sarah took part in Celebrity Big Brother, Cheryl didn't publicly wish her luck and it quickly became clear why when the CBB star admitted she hadn't spoken to Chezza in three years. A few weeks later she made a sly 'dig' over how private Chezza was during her pregnancy with Bear.
Lily Allen
Cheryl and Lily's tension began back in 2006 when Lily wrote a song named Cheryl Tweedy (that went alongside her song Smile and Absolutely Nothing). In the song that discussed women attempting to reach unattainable beauty standards, Lily sings: "I wish I looked just like Cheryl Tweedy". Chez took it as a compliment and gushed: "I'm really flattered Lily's written a track about me. But I don't know why she sings about wanting to be as pretty as me as she looks stunning."Unfortunately things got awkward when Lily hit back and said she doesn't want to look like Cheryl: "It's tongue in cheek, it's meant to be ironic."I don't have anything against her as a human being but I think the portrayal of her being the right thing for kids to look up to is wrong." She even added that "nobody really wants to look like Cheryl, they just think they do."Then during a chat with Gordon Ramsay, Cheryl bit back and said: "Because everyone wants to look like her".Lily then wrote an open letter and said: "At least I write and sing my own songs without the aid of Auto-Tune."I must say, taking your clothes off, doing sexy dancing and marrying a rich footballer must be very gratifying, your mother must be so proud."In 2014 Lily had a dramatic U-turn and confessedshe regretted their feud and her olive branch appeared to work out because in 2015 they were pictured together.
Louis Walsh
Despite appearing on The X Factor together in 2008 – 2010 and again in 2014, Cheryl and Louis Walsh weren't the best of friends. It all began when Louis was Girls Aloud's manager and reportedly called them "fat". Years later Louis threw shade at Chez by saying working alongside her on The X Factor "was never great". He then slammed her career, adding: "She won a competition, married a footballer and now she's in a hair advert. "Nadine Coyle was the voice of Girls Aloud. Cheryl made herself the face and best of luck to her."It was then reported that Chez felt "humiliated and hurt" by Louis' words. Bless her. Not long after, Louis gushed that Nicole Scherzinger was the "best female [X Factor judge] – by a mile". Things took an awkward turn in 2016 when Liam Payne publicly defended his then pregnant-girlfriend. After Louis made it clear there's no need for Cheryl to return to The X Factor, the former One Direction star slammed him and said: "Shut the f—k up for once".
Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd and Cheryl seemed like the perfect duo in 2010 during their time on The X Factor but things took a turn for the worse when the show ended.In 2012 Cher threw shade at Cheryl and hinted that she "doesn't sing live". Cheryl then tweeted: "Be Careful who you kick on your way up... They kick you twice as hard on your way back down… #UnappreciationIsUgly".Before admitting Cher's words were "like a slap in the face", she told GQ magazine: "She's new. She needs to learn a lot. I went through hell to get her on that programme. "Everyone says stuff at the beginning of their career that they will learn to regret. Maybe I didn't teach her as well as I thought I had."Cher then hinted that they'd put the past behind them after she congratulated her former mentor on her second marriage to Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini. In 2016 the X Factor star confessed that they'd "made up ages ago" and even said she "never would have guessed" Cheryl dating and having a child with Liam Payne.
Simon Cowell
One of Cheryl's biggest celebrity rows was definitely with Simon Cowell. They appeared to have a great friendship during their time on The X Factor but it all changed when they took the talent show to America. Chez was apparently sacked because of her accent; according to reports the American audience couldn't understand her so she was replaced by Nicole Scherzinger. Cheryl then hit out at the music mogul in her book autobiography saying: "F--k you. F--k Britain's Got Talent. F--k the orange and purple outfit. F--k big hair. F--k the UK X Factor. "F--k you all. I hate you. I understand you're a businessman, and what I've learned from this is that business means more to you than friendship."Fast forward three years and they kissed and made it and Cheryl even returned to ITV show despite saying "F—k the UK X Factor".However there was another hiccup in their friendship when Simon claimed the Geordie had "put on a bit of weight" during her X Factor US stint. She hit back at him and told him to stop bringing up the past. He has also said he "didn't recognise her" when The X Factor flew stateside and claimed "she'd lost her confidence".The pair are apparently on good terms now; Simon reportedly "comforted" her during her second divorce and he set her and Liam Payne up.
Nadine Coyle
Cheryl and Nadine Coyle found fame together in Girls Aloud and even after the girl band split it appeared that they were still friends withChez congratulating her bandmate on her pregnancy.However a year later it appeared that Nadine made a dig at Cheryl shortly after her wedding to Jean-Bernard by telling her to "join the baby club". Then in 2018 during an appearance on Celebrity Juice, Nadine revealed she was never friends with Chez despite being a bridesmaid at her wedding to Ashley Cole."There was no falling out, there was just no friendship to begin with," she said.
Alan Sugar
Cheryl has appeared on a celebrity version of the Apprentice and attended Alan Sugar's 60th birthday but that didn't stop him from skinny shaming her.In 2015, shortly before the end of her second marriage, Alan tweeted: "Catching up on X-Factor. Cheryl is now too thin".The then-X Factor judge hit back and said: "I've got nothing to say to stupidity. How do you answer stupidity? With intelligence? If I cared I would be bothered."
Charlotte Church
One of Cheryl's first feuds began way back in 2005 when she accused Charlotte Church off copying the sound of one of Girls Aloud's songs.Charlotte bit back and said: "Girls Aloud wouldn't be able to sing Crazy Chick if they possibly tried. They just don't have the range, darling. "And when they've sold as many records as me, then they can comment … Maybe Cheryl is bitter."Their rows continued with Charlotte branding the girl band as "five dogs without balls" and claiming Chez has "no backbone" for taking [Ashley Cole back following cheating allegations.](https://closeronline.co.uk/celebrity/news/celebrities-who-cheating/ allegations)However Cheryl isn't one to take things lightly and she called Charlotte "a nasty little piece of work with a fat head" before describing Charlotte's then boyfriend Gavin Henson as "scabby" and calling him "a posing idiot who looks like a girl".She also threw shade at Charlotte's Walkers advert, by saying: "The one where she's stuffing her face? I think that's very appropriate!"Fast forward to 2013 and Charlotte said Chez was "really good" on The X Factor. Does this mean they've put the past behind them?
Katie Price
Okay so they didn't have a row per se but shortly after Cheryl tied the knot with Jean-Bernard after dating for three months, Katie Price warned her against shotgun weddings.In her Now magazine column, she said: "My warning to Cheryl… I don't think you can ever know what a person's really like after just three months."I'd be a hypocrite to say Cheryl shouldn't have rushed in - I've done it myself a few times. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't."Then when Cheryl returned to The X Factor in 2014, Katie said the judge had "lost her sparkle".However it appears that there's no harsh feeling between the pair because Katie shared a clip on Instagram of her cameo in Girls Aloud's reality show Off The Record.In the clip Chez called the mum-of-five a "f—king cow" because of her figure. She said: "I think she looks fantastic. Her legs are amazing, f--king cow. Not one smidgen of cellulite, believe me, I was looking. "There is no way those boobs have anything to do with the minuteness of that woman. They are just f--king huge. She's making me sick."Katie captioned the clip on social media: "A massive compliment from the beautiful women @cherylofficial." [sic]
Munroe Bergdorf
One of Cheryl's most recent feuds was with Munroe Bergdorf. In 2017 Munroe was hired as the first transgender model in L'Oreal's diversity campaign however she was fired for comments she made about white supremacism following shocking events in Charlottesville, USA. During an appearance on Victoria Derbyshire's show she pointed out that Cheryl was part of the campaign despite punching a black woman in the face.Chez's management hit back in a statement, saying: "More than 14 years ago Cheryl was unanimously acquitted of a charge of racially aggravated assault."She is disappointed to find her name involved in Munroe Bergdorf's media interview."
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“They’ve had their differences, but that’s all firmly in the past. He’s promised to support her and it’s given her the confidence not just to help during the crisis, but also to settle some other past gripes and bury some hatchets amid the outbreak.”
Earlier this month, Cheryl’s former bandmate, Nadine Coyle, 34, revealed how Cheryl got in touch with her via email to mend their long-running feud. The pair had reportedly spent seven years locked in a bitter spat, which kicked off publicly following the band’s split in 2013. At the time, Nadine
claimed she was left in the dark over the decision to break up, prompting Cheryl to blast her in a magazine interview, saying she was “full of s--t”.
As Closer previously revealed, Cheryl – who has her own youth-based charity, Cheryl’s Trust – had reached out to discuss a reunion with Nadine, which was well received. And insiders say the singer is planning on extending an olive branch to others.
The star once famously labelled Lily Allen a “chick with a d-ck” after Lily said Cheryl’s mother “must be so proud, stupid b--ch” of Cheryl for “marrying a rich footballer”. Lily later expressed regret over her outburst, saying, “I wish that whole thing hadn’t happened. I like Cheryl.” The following year, Cheryl posed for a photo with Lily at the British Fashion Awards, hinting that there was no bad blood between them.
Cheryl also had a long-standing quarrel with her X-Factor protégé Cher Lloyd – who aimed a dig at her former mentor for not singing live – and a vicious spat with Charlotte Church, after Cheryl accused the singer of copying Girls Aloud’s sound, though she later admitted she regretted their run-in, revealing she actually likes her Welsh rival.
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She’s also had reported fall-outs with Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger. But sources say that friction is all firmly in the past for Cheryl now.
The insider adds, “It’s an unsettling time, and Cheryl doesn’t want to have any animosity hanging over her.
“She hopes all is forgiven between her and Charlotte,
and intends to make sure there’s no more frostiness with Nicole. Right now, she feels everyone should be coming together
and spreading the love – her focus is on helping people in whatever small way she can.”
Read more in this week's Closer magazine, which you can buy here.