Left shaken as first husband Ashley Cole house-hunts in her new neighbourhood
She said she’d always love him following their heartbreaking divorce in 2010, despite a string of cheating allegations that left her "numb" just three and a half years after their fairy-tale wedding.
And insiders say Cheryl, 36, has been left feeling unsettled after learning that Ashley Cole, 38, is looking at family homes in Gerrards Cross – situated just two miles from her Buckinghamshire home, where she recently moved to with her two-year-old son Bear, following her split from Liam Payne, 26.
Check out: from Cheryl to Coleen Rooney - where are the 2006 WAGS now?
The UK Wags - where are they now?
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1 of 9Victoria Beckham
One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.
2 of 9Coleen Rooney
Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.
3 of 9Cheryl
How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.
4 of 9Abbey Clancy
Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?
5 of 9Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.
6 of 9Elen Rivas
Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.
7 of 9Louise Owen
Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.
8 of 9Carly Zucker
Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.
9 of 9Alex Curran
Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea player Ashley shares three-year-old son Jaxson and 18-month-old daughter Grace with Italian model Sharon Canu, 38, who bears a striking resemblance to his ex, Cheryl.
He announced his retirement from football earlier this month and revealed plans to move into coaching.
A source says, "When Cheryl got wind of Ashley house-hunting just a five-minute drive from her new home, through mutual pals, she was really unnerved by the thought of bumping into him playing happy families at her and Bear’s local haunts.
"Even after all these years, pals know it would be hard for her to see him living the family life she’d envisaged for them.
"She only moved to that area to make a fresh start, and says it would feel quite awkward to worry about seeing them at parks or restaurants – especially the thought of having to make polite conversation with Sharon and seeing Ashley as a doting dad. It would bring up a lot of fresh heartache for her."
Cheryl and Ashley became a showbiz golden couple when they first started dating in 2004. Back then, she was enjoying a successful pop career as one-fifth of Girls Aloud, while he was one of the biggest sports stars in the country and part of the England team.
They famously announced their 2005 engagement in a glossy magazine shoot and signed a £1m publicity deal to feature their star-studded wedding the following year.
Less than two years later, Cheryl’s world crumbled when Ashley was accused of sleeping with hairdresser Aimee Walton on a night out – leaving the singer heartbroken as she fled to Thailand with close pals Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts to consider the future of her marriage, with the stress leading her to plummet to 6st.
Surprisingly, she gave him a second chance, insisting, "Ashley’s young and he’s got a young mentality for his age anyway. He’s learning." But their reconciliation was short-lived and she filed for divorce in 2010 amid fresh claims he’d slept with another four women.
Later, opening up about her marriage breakdown, the fragile star sobbed through an interview on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, telling him, "I was just a heartbroken girl.
"We had a great marriage, the most fantastic wedding, but I don’t know where it went wrong. A part of me will always love him. When I look back at it now I just feel numb."
While Ashley has gone on to settle down, Cheryl’s failed to maintain a relationship for longer than three years.
She’s enjoyed short-lived romances with dancers Derek Hough and Tre Holloway, as well as an 18-month marriage to restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini and a two-year relationship with 1D star Liam, which ended last July.
And pals say part of the reason for Cheryl’s troubled love life is down to the scars she still bears from her broken romance with Ashley.
A source says, "Cheryl never truly got over what happened between them and has admitted that she sometimes thinks about what her life would have been like and how they’d most likely have three or four children together by now.
"She still harbours deep-rooted trust issues from his betrayal, which she’s tried not to bring into her relationships, but it’s hard not to. And she’s found herself comparing men she meets to Ashley because, in her mind, that’s when she was most happy."
Following Cheryl’s split from Jean-Bernard, Ashley’s ex-girlfriend, Pascal Craymer – whom he briefly dated in 2014 – insisted the former X Factor judge still harboured feelings for her first husband, saying, "I know Cheryl loves Ash and always will."
The ex-TOWIE star also revealed that if it wasn’t for Ashley meeting Sharon during his time playing for Italian team AS Roma in 2014, there could even have been a chance of a reconciliation. Pascal revealed, "Ashley was one of the first people to text her and check how she was doing after the news came out about the divorce [from Jean-Bernard].
"It made her realise she still cares." Last year, former footballer Jermain Pennant – who’s pals with Ashley – said, "I think she [Cheryl] is still caught up over Ash."
Pals say that while she remains single, and recently revealed how she’s open to "other options" to have a much longed-for second baby, she’s worried Ashley’s move will re-open the wounds she still bears from their divorce.
The source adds, "Cheryl’s buried so many feelings, which she fears will be reignited again if Ashley moves close by."
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And in another blow to the star, her performance at Manchester’s Gay Pride was slated last week following her disappointing music comeback, which saw her first two singles flop in the charts.
Closer recently revealed how Cheryl – whose waxwork was removed from Madame Tussauds after being cited as “no longer relevant” – had turned to pal Khloé Kardashian, 35, for advice to help boost her ailing career. And following her fallout with Simon Cowell, as well as losing touch with pals including Will.i.am, sources say the private star is starting to regret pushing away her well-connected friends.
The source adds, "Cheryl knows now is the time to have her industry pals around her to get her back on top. She’s hoping to turn her career around."
You can read more celebrity news in this week's Closer magazine - out now!