The singer reveals she's not making men a priority
She insisted earlier this year that she hadn’t given up on love, following her split from Liam Payne last July– revealing how she was open to meeting someone new and would “happily date a Sainsbury’s shelf-stacker”.
But in a brutally honest interview last week, Cheryl, 35, appeared to have sworn off the possibility of finding a new man, insisting, “It’s so not something I’m even thinking about. It’s not a priority.”
Check out: Cheryl ex-husband and boyfriends - what happened next?
Cheryl relationship timeline - stacked
1 of 112004-2010: Ashley Cole
Not long into her rise to fame, Cheryl started dating England footballer Ashley Cole, even attending the World Cup with the likes of Victoria Beckham and Coleen Rooney. Clearly smitten, the loved-up pair got married in 2016, penning a six-figure magazine deal at the time.
2 of 112004-2010: Ashley Cole
However, things started to turn sour for the 'golden couple' when Ashley was accused of 'cheating' on Cheryl just months after their wedding. Despite forgiving the footballer, Ashley continued with his ways, with allegations that he'd been unfaithful rocking their romance yet again. Everything got too much for Chez in 2010, when she filed for divorce from Ashley.
3 of 112010-2011: Derek Hough
Cheryl first met professional dancer Derek Hough whilst the pair filmed the music video for her hit track 'Parachute', and it seems they immediately hit it off. The former X Factor judge contracted Malaria in 2010, and she later told Piers Morgan, "I owe my life to Derek... if it wasn't for him I'd be dead."
4 of 112010-2011: Derek Hough
Despite this, it seems the pair were destined to just be friends, with Derek later revealing to the media, "We dated for a while. Absolutely we are still friends, we are still very close."
5 of 112012-2013: Tre Holloway
It seems Cheryl had quite a thing for professional dancers, as her next boyfriend was the super handsome Tre Holloway. Despite first meeting each other on The X Factor in 2010, the pair didn't grow close until 2012, with Cheryl enlisting Tre's dancing skills for her 'Ghetto Baby' music video.
6 of 112012-2013: Tre Holloway
Things seemed to be getting serious between the two, especially when Tre starred in Cheryl's ITV2 documentary. However, the long-distance relationship didn't work out, with the couple calling it quits in 2013. Speaking at the time, Tre said, "She's an amazing person, an amazing woman, and we are good friends."
7 of 112014-2016: Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini
It looked like Cheryl had found 'the one' when she met French businessman Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2014. Only three months into their romance, Cheryl shocked her fans by announcing she'd married JB, in a secret beach location with her close family and friends.
8 of 112014-2016: Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini
After her second marriage, rumours of tension between Cheryl and JB started to arise, with the couple being pictured looking glum on more than one occasion. 18 months after their whirlwind wedding, Cheryl and JB were granted a quickie divorce in October 2018.
9 of 112016-2018: Liam Payne
Shortly after Cheryl divorced JB, she singer shocked the showbiz world in 2016, when she confirmed she was dating One Direction singer Liam Payne. Despite the pair having a 10-year age gap, and originally meeting when Liam was just 14-years-old on The X Factor, Cheryl and Liam instantly hit it off, posting a number of adorable snaps together.
10 of 112016-2018: Liam Payne
After what was the worst kept pregnancy secret of the decade, Cheryl and Liam welcomed a baby boy into the world in March 2017, settling on the name Bear Grey Payne.
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11 of 112016-2018: Liam Payne
Split rumours started to hit the pair in early 2018, but Cheryl and Liam were quick to shut them down, putting on a very loved-up display at the 2018 BRIT Awards. However, just five months later, the couple released a joint statement admitting they've decided to separate. Despite this, the pair remain good friends and co-parent baby Bear.
Referring to her two-year-old son Bear, whom she shares with her ex, she added, "I’ve found the love of my life and he’s absolutely enough for me."
And pals tell Closer how the singer – who revealed last week she had been seeing a therapist on a weekly basis to undo "all the bad thought patterns and traps I used to fall into" – has been motivated by therapy to rely on herself for happiness.
A source says, "Cheryl’s always fallen so fast for men and allowed her heart to guide her instead of her head. But she now insists that doesn’t make her happy, and she needs to focus on herself before she thinks about a new relationship."
Cheryl was left heartbroken when her first husband Ashley Cole – whom she wed in 2006 – was caught cheating on numerous occasions, and the pair finally split in 2010.
She married second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2014 following a whirlwind three-month romance, citing in divorce papers that the stress of the marriage led to a shock weight loss.
And Cheryl appeared to hint last week that her split from Liam, 25, last summer was his decision. When asked in an interview why she ended the romance, she said, "Who says it was me?"
Speaking four months after the break-up, she also admitted she’d given up on love, saying, "I know what I want in life but, in the romantic area, it’s the end. The end."
The insider adds, "Cheryl’s been through so much heartache, and she’s realised that she needs to get to the root of her own issues before even contemplating dating again.
"It’s been difficult going back through all her relationship mistakes in therapy, and admitting where things might have gone wrong for her. But now she feels sure that being single is best for her happiness."
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Insiders recently told Closer that Cheryl had even asked Liam – who reportedly split from supermodel Naomi Campbell last week following a brief romance – to father another child with her if he was single.
And, confirming Closer’s recent story that she’s looking into alternative routes to have another baby, the star revealed last week, "You don’t necessarily need to be in a relationship. I’ve got a friend who has had two children using donors. Not everything needs to be conventional."
A source says, "Cheryl likes the idea of having another baby with Liam. She knows they can amicably co-parent – as well as giving Bear a full-blood sibling. Friends have warned her off the idea as Liam’s schedule is so packed and they feel the pressure of her raising two babies alone will be too much to handle."
Read even more about Cheryl in this week's Closer magazine - out now.