There’s definitely a pun here about singers waxing lyrical
Cheryl has been left humiliated this week, as it was revealed Madame Tussauds have put her waxwork figure into storage, as she is no longer “relevant”. But – despite plenty of jokes at the former X Factor judge's expense – insiders say the Geordie star is refusing to stay down for long, telling friends she
“Cheryl really feels like she’s become a laughing stock and a target for jokes,”a source close to the 36-year-old who’s been struggling to revive her flailing career since returning from maternity leave after baby Bear, now two, told heat magazine.
“This latest news is such an insult. She's trying to shrug it off, saying she couldn't care less but it's really stinging. It’s bad enough to be removed from the celebrity halls, but to have it revealed in such a way was next level humiliating.”
It was reported last week that the famous London tourist attraction were culling their Cheryl waxwork – which has undergone several reinventions since its birth in 2010 – and “storing it in the London archives.” Which means it could be one step away from a grisly end – being melted down to make a new waxwork.
And adding insult to injury, just about all of her former X Factor co-judges are still there, including Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and even Louis Walsh. A few fans were shocked by the decision, with one starting a petition to get the waxwork back – but after a few days, only 53 people had signed it.
Most of those following the story seemed to find the whole thing hilarious, with one tweeting, “Melt it down to make candles for her next wedding.” Another wrote, “That is so funny. It's fitting though”, while a third joked, “Better to have waxed and waned than to never have waxed at all.”
CHECK OUT Cheryl's husbands and boyfriends - where are they now?
Cheryl relationship timeline - slider with cover pic
1 of 12Swipe through to see Cheryl's relationship history...
2 of 122004-2010: 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.
3 of 122004-2010: 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.
4 of 122010-2011: 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."
5 of 122010-2011: 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."
6 of 122012-2013: 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.
7 of 122012-2013: 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."
8 of 122014-2016: 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.
9 of 122014-2016: 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.
10 of 122016-2018: 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.
11 of 122016-2018: 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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12 of 122016-2018: 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.
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It’s the latest embarrassment in a year-long series of awkward Cheryl-headlines. After splitting from her baby-daddy, Liam Payne,25, last summer, the Geordie star tried to launch a music comeback, but her most recent single in May failed to even break the UK top 50.
Without her lucrative L’Oreal modelling contract to fall back on (that ended last year), friends say she’s now pinning her hopes on TV work, as she films for the second series of BBC talent show The Greatest Dancer.
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But she’s already been left embarrassed when – as heat reported last week – she was accused of trying to flirt with her 23-year-old new co-worker, Love Island’s Curtis Pritchard.
“It’s been a rough period and this news just makes Cheryl feel like she's getting dumped yet again,” says the insider. “She knows it's silly, but she actually used to talk about being in the Wax Museum, and now she feels like everyone is laughing at her.”
Despite all the comments and criticism, insiders say the TV star won’t be down for long. We’re told, “Cheryl has shown over and over just how thick her skin is. Yes, she’s hurt, but she’s trying to keep her head down and figure out her next move. She says she will not be retiring like this and this is only making her even more determined to show everyone she’s still got it."