She’s made no secret of her longing to have more children – revealing that in the absence of a partner, she’s looking for a sperm donor to give her five-year-old son, Bear, a sibling.
And insiders say Cheryl, 38 – who’s remained single since splitting from Bear’s dad, Liam Payne, 28, in 2018 – has been turning to her close pal, “special soul” Khloé Kardashian, 37, who’s also been exploring fertility options to give her four-year-old daughter True a brother or sister.
A source says, “Cheryl and Khloé have been friends for a long time – initially bonding over their marriage breakdowns – which has now turned into their mutual longing to have more children.
“With Cheryl’s 39th birthday looming in June, she doesn’t want to waste any more time waiting for Mr Right, and has been leaning on Khloé for advice and support as she prepares to start fertility treatment to make her baby dream come true.”
The pair instantly clicked after meeting at a Kanye West concert in Las Vegas in 2013, where Khloé was celebrating her older sister Kim’s birthday.
Cheryl – who’d divorced her love-rat ex, Ashley Cole in 2010 – was said to have consoled and bonded with Khloé, who was at the time going through similar heartbreak after having recently separated from her nowex-husband, Lamar Odom, 42, following multiple cheating claims.
While they’ve not been publicly snapped together, the stars have made a series of gushing statements about one another – with Khloé describing Cheryl as “phenomenal”, adding, “I fell in love with her when I met her. She’s such an angel.”
The following year, the reality star hailed the Let You singer as her “woman crush Wednesday” on Instagram – captioning a snap of her pouting pal, “Sometimes you meet people and you click instantly. Her beauty is more than skin deep… I love this lady’s spirit.”
After giving birth to Bear in 2017, Khloé reportedly sent Cheryl a £5,000 Harrods hamper.
When fans Tweeted their delight about the unlikely duo becoming BFFs, Khloé replied, “She is truly one of the sweetest women I have met in a long time. She touched my heart! She’s a true doll. Gorgeous and kind.”
Proving their adoration is very much reciprocal, Cheryl gushed, “Sometimes in life you come across people you just connect with, that was exactly how I felt when I met Khloé... I felt I knew her already. She has such a big heart and a very special soul.”
The source says, “Cheryl trusts Khloé implicitly and knows she has access to some of the best fertility doctors in the world in Los Angeles, so Khloé’s recommended some top experts, and the pair lean on each other for support and advice.
“They’ve made a pact to do it together which has given Cheryl a lot of comfort and made her feel less alone – especially given how daunting the process is without a partner by her side – and Khloé’s given her the motivation to start the ball rolling.
“They’ll FaceTime to chat about everything from what scares them most and all their concerns about doing it solo, to empowering each other and dreaming of watching True and Bear doting on their little brother or sister.”
In 2020, the former Girls Aloud star confessed she intends to conceive “more than one child” via a sperm donor.
Cheryl – who was 36 at the time – revealed, “If time was on my side and I was in my twenties, yeah, I would wait and consider more options, or wait for somebody I felt was right, but… you could meet somebody and for that year it feels incredible, but there is never a guarantee because there are so many variables that can happen. Life is a funny old game.”
The twice-divorced star – whose first husband, Ashley, recently got engaged to the mother of his two children, Sharon Canu, added, “You can get it [the sperm donor] from abroad.”
Just four months after Cheryl’s confession, Khloé – who split from True’s dad, Tristan Thompson, 31, after he cheated on her during her pregnancy – also admitted she was going down the fertility route to have another child.
She revealed she’d begun freezing her eggs and was debating whether to use her love-rat ex as a sperm donor or wait until she’d met a new man.
Opening up to her sisters, Kim and Kourtney, on their reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she said, “What in three years if I get married to someone? And I’m like, ‘You know what, I don’t want that.’”
While the pair had been living together in a bid to amicably co-parent True – with Khloé even reportedly giving the basketball star a second chance – she was left heartbroken yet again in December when it was revealed Tristan had secretly fathered another child with fitness model Maralee Nichols.
Their son, Theo, was conceived on Tristan’s 30th birthday in March 2021 – when Khloé was said to have rekindled her romance with the sports star.
And with Khloé now also searching for a suitable donor, pals say she’s invited Cheryl to LA in the hope of making their baby dreams come true.
The source adds, “Khloé has asked Cheryl to fly out and stay with her so they can go to one of the world’s best sperm-donor agencies together and support each other through the process.
“She said how much fun it would be for True and Bear too, given they’re close in age, and told Cheryl how great it will be to merge the trip with making special memories for the kids too – taking them to Disneyland and going skiing in Big Bear, which Cheryl loves the idea of.
“This is a huge step for the both of them. Cheryl feels like she’s been given a huge confidence boost thanks to Khloé’s support and she can’t wait to become a mum again and experience the journey with one of her closest friends.”