She’s made no secret of how much she’d love to add to her family, having confessed several times in the past that she feels she was put on this Earth to have kids, and has been “obsessed” with them for as long as she can remember. So it seemed fitting that Cheryl chose to make an appearance last week – having last been seen in public in January – to visit a fan’s newborn baby.
Much to the amazement of superfan Michelle Illingworth, the singer made a surprise visit, while following social-distancing guidelines, to meet her baby son, Luca, after hearing that her baby shower was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Michelle, who has met Cheryl multiple times over the years, shared a photo of her cradling her baby while Cheryl looked on adoringly from a distance. “I am actually speechless... Luca had a very special visitor today… CHERYL. My heart is so so full. I have no words, I love her so so much,” Michelle captioned the shot.
She then paraphrased something Cheryl said to her – “I couldn’t make your wedding and you’ve supported me over the years, the least I could do was come and see you and your beautiful new baby,” and she added the hashtags, “#Cheryl #memories #happiness #idol.” Cheryl also spent time with other members of Michelle’s family, and they all posed for a picture in the garden.
Cheryl, 37 – who welcomed son Bear, now three, with ex Liam Payne in 2017 – appeared in a series of pictures looking on in admiration at the baby, having said almost a decade ago, “I know that is what I was put on Earth to do – be a mother.”
Cheryl is currently single, but has been vocal about her desire to give Bear a sibling.
She said she’s “always broody” and would love “100 kids” if she could, adding that “it’s the best part of life”. Discussing her options last year, she revealed, “You don’t necessarily need to be in a relationship. I’ve got a friend who has had two children using donors. Not everything has to be conventional.
“You can spend ages looking for the right man, waiting for the perfect time to get pregnant, then the right man might turn out to be the wrong man. There are definitely other routes I would consider.”
Her motivation to have another child comes after Cheryl – who divorced footballer Ashley Cole in 2010 and Jean-Bernard Fernandez Versini in 2016 – revealed motherhood “changes your life completely, but in the most amazing way,” while friend Simon Cowell predicted motherhood would be “the making of her”.
She also fully embraced the less-glamorous aspects of parenthood. In an interview last year, Cheryl revealed she had been up at 1.30am “cleaning dirty nappies”, previously saying, “It’s challenging, that’s for sure... I didn’t mind, by the way, about being up at night, because I just felt it was so dreamy that the world was asleep and he and I were awake, the two of us just bonding.”
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But like any celebrity mum, she’s not immune to criticism about her parenting choices. She’s discussed her battles with “mum guilt” and joked about getting mum- shamed after she revealed she lets Bear sleep in her bed, calling it the “best thing in the world.”
She said, “I don’t want to give him insecurities or a feeling like I’m not around... I would spend every breathing moment with him and not do anything else, but I know that’s unhealthy.”
The former Girls Aloud singer admitted she was “always angry” with herself before Bear’s birth but motherhood made her put things in perspective.
Check out: Girls Aloud - then and now
Girls Aloud - where are they now?
1 of 10Cheryl
During her time in Girls Aloud Cheryl married and divorced footballer ex-husband Ashley Cole after he cheated. Cheryl was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an altercation with a nightclub toilet attended in 2003. On a slightly lighter note (well, kind of) she threw a lot of shade when she said she "didn't think" Nicole Scherzinger would make it as a solo artist…
2 of 10Cheryl - 2020
Since her time in Girls Aloud, Chez has gone on to launch her solo career, she was a judge on The X Factor, moved onto The X Factor US but was sacked three weeks later and had a falling out with Simon Cowell. Despite texting him "f—k you. F—k the UK X Factor. F—k you all. I hate you," she returned to the show four years later. Cheryl has since become a judge on BBC's The Greatest Dancer. Chez was also an ambassador for L'Oreal and in 2020 she starred in the movie Four Kids and It.And after her divorce from Ashley, Cheryl got married to Jean-Bernard Fernandez but they split in 2016. She then dated Liam Payne and despite splitting in 2018 they're now co-parenting their son Bear Grey Payne.
3 of 10Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley was pretty unproblematic in Girls Aloud, although we can't forget when she completely backed Cheryl throwing shade at Nicole Scherzinger. Kimberley also didn't seem keen on the idea of the Pussycat Dolls star launching a solo career.
4 of 10Kimberley Walsh - 2020
Post-Girls Aloud, Kimberley climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009 to raise money for Comic Relief, she has presented on TV and in 2012 she starred on Strictly Come Dancing and came runner up alongside her professional partner Pasha Kovalev. She's also married her long-term partner Justin Scott and they're parents to Bobby and Cole.
5 of 10Nadine Coyle
After Girls Aloud split in 2013, Nadine made it clear that it was not her idea. "You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn't stop them. I had the best time & want to keep going," she tweeted at the time.
6 of 10Nadine Coyle - 2020
Nadine has pretty much become a meme after the nation discovered how she says "flour" on Sunday Brunch. She launched her own solo career, took part in I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2019 and following a brief split from her fiancé Jason Bell they went on to have a child and tie the knot. Unfortunately they split months before she flew out to the jungle.
7 of 10Sarah Harding
Sarah was definitely the funniest of the group. Remember at the Brit Awards in 2009 when Girls Aloud won Best Single for The Promise and Sarah shouted down the microphone, "Can I just say, it's about timmmeee… I think I just wet myself." Obsessed.
8 of 10Sarah Harding - 2018
Sarah has starred on Coronation Street as Joni Preston, she won Celebrity Big Brother 2017 and in 2017 it came to light that she allegedly had an affair with Danny Dyer back in the day. She also got engaged to DJ Tom Crane but they called off their wedding and in 2011 she entered rehab for alcohol dependence and depression.
9 of 10Nicole Roberts
Remember when Matt Willis called Nicola a "rude ginger b-tch" and she hit back but writing 'I'm a rude ginger b-tch… bothered!' on her shorts? Now that's iconic.
10 of 10Nicola Roberts - 2020
Nicola has also launched her solo career and she won the first series of The Masked Singer UK.
She didn’t elaborate on the negatives and instead focused on the positive changes, explaining, “Everything changed for me from the moment Bear was born. My old brain came out of my head, and all my worries, anxieties and feelings of emptiness went, and a new brain replaced it. The moment I held him in my arms, I had that feeling [of] fulfilment. It’s stayed with me. And I’ve changed so much. I really have.”
Her relationship with One Direction star Liam ended in 2018, but they are on good terms. Cheryl admitted he’s a lot “softer” than her when it comes to parenting, while he is full of praise for her, saying, “She’s a fantastic mum. I can’t complain – she’s absolutely awesome.”
Cheryl’s friends have spoken about her parenting skills, too.
Sinitta told Closer last year, “Bear was at Eric’s [Simon Cowell’s son] birthday party earlier this year, and Cheryl was letting him indulge, but trying not to let him overindulge.
“In public, you don’t want to be the disciplined mother while everyone else is letting their children stuff their faces with sweets. But she was taking things away and saying, ‘No – we’ll have this, and not that’. She’s good – she’s hands-on.”
Watch: Kimberly Walsh talks play dates with Cheryl and Bear
Meanwhile, her best friend and former bandmate Kimberley Walsh, 38, revealed that her sons Bobby, five, and Cole, three, usually see Bear about once a week, and all three were recently reunited as lockdown restrictions were eased.
She said, “Just the same as with adults, the kids acted like there had been no time away. It was lovely to see them go straight back to playing as normal.”
For now, Cheryl is still enjoying her “love bubble” with Bear. She said, “I feel like I’ve had two lives – me before Bear and me with Bear,” adding, “He’s just a bundle of cuteness.”
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