With just weeks to go until the launch of their show tour, Girls Aloud stepped up the glam as they attended a London Fashion Week party as a band together.
But while fans were delighted to see the reunion of Cheryl, 40, Nadine Coyle, 38, Kimberley Walsh, 42, and Nicola Roberts, 38, others were quick to comment on Cheryl’s dramatic new look.
“She looks like she’s had a lot of filler!,” wrote one fan, while another added, “Cheryl looks like she’s from Madame Tussauds”. And a source tells Closer that Cheryl is feeling under pressure to keep up her reputation as the band’s “Queen Bee” and isn’t afraid to fork out “thousands” to maintain her youthful looks.
The insider says, “Cheryl will be turning 41 when the girls go back on tour and she wants to ensure she looks just as good – if not better – than she did over a decade ago.
“She’s always been known as the ‘stunner’ of the band and she doesn’t want to lose that crown, so she’s undergone some tweaks in preparation to ensure she looks her very best. She’s determined to do whatever it takes to freeze time and, in Cheryl’s eyes, that means splashing out thousands on the latest procedures to maintain her looks.”
Cheryl had kept a low profile ever since welcoming son Bear in 2017 with ex Liam Payne, but made headlines last year during her stint in spooky theatre production 2:22 – A Ghost Story. While she used to frequent the showbiz party circuit and red carpets, nowadays she’s said to live a low-key life focusing on her son.
Cheryl has also been single since her split from singer Liam in 2018 after two years together. She has been famously unlucky in love){href='http://Tess Daly tells Cheryl Cole: ' } over the years, having been married twice – first to former football star Ashley Cole and then to French restauranteur Jean- Bernard Fernandez-Versini.
She claimed in 2018 that Liam had been the only man ever to be faithful to her – something neither Ashley nor Jean-Bernard commented on. While Cheryl insisted in 2018 that she’s not fussed about love and that Bear is “the man of [her] dreams”, she has also previously described herself as a hopeless romantic and reports have swirled over the years that she’s keen to get back on the dating scene.
And our source says the mum-of-one is hoping her newfound confidence boost leads her to finding love again this year. The source says, “Despite her focus being on the tour and Girls Aloud right now, Cheryl is also keen to maintain and tweak her looks because, despite insisting Bear is the love of her life, she is longing to find love again.
“She thinks maybe getting back in the music world and going on tour could be a good chance to meet some new people. So that’s another reason for her recent makeover.”
It’s not the first time Cheryl has had comments about her changing looks.
During the promotion for her comeback single Love Made Me Do It in 2018, fans were shocked by her noticeably swollen features and fuller cheeks. At the time, Cheryl said in an interview, “My whole body, even my face, everything’s changed since Bear was born.
"But I feel like I’m better than who I was. I don’t care what my body looks like in that respect. I’m not obsessive about it. I created a life! I’m amazed by myself. And I’m kinder to myself because of it.”
But the source says that with the reunion of the band that first made her a household name over two decades ago thrusting Cheryl back into the spotlight, she’s become increasingly anxious over her appearance.
Girls Aloud are set to perform across the UK and Ireland during May and June in a tour that will commemorate their band mate Sarah Harding, who tragically died of breast cancer in 2021 aged just 39.
The insider adds, “Cheryl is extremely conscious of her image and she’s very aware that her looks are a huge part of her currency, so she feels they are vital to her success.
“While Cheryl has long been a fan of cosmetic procedures, she’s been seeing a top London cosmetic doctor who’s been helping to smooth her skin and reverse any signs of ageing with a combination of Botox, fillers, laser treatments and various skin resurfacing facials.”
But the source adds that Cheryl – who is notoriously close to mum Joan – has been advised by her loved ones to not go overboard with the cosmetic procedures.
The source says, “Friends and family, including her mum, have warned her not to go too far – insisting she’s naturally beautiful and how she’s in danger of destroying her looks.”
