How Cheryl has changed to find lasting love

Leaning on friends for advice and guidance Looks back on failed romances and her past Won’t rush into new relationship and is determined to stay civil with Liam

She’s returned S to the spotlight since her split from Liam Payne, with insiders revealing to Closer recently that she was ready to move on and meet someone new after seeing the former One Direction star partying with a string of other women.

And sources say Cheryl, 35 – who was rumoured to have been leaning on best pal Kimberley Walsh’s brother Adam since the break-up, and was also linked to an Irish businessman (though her rep has denied the claims) – has been opening up to friends about her past failed romances in a bid to understand what went wrong and avoid making the same mistakes again.

WARNING SIGNS

A source says, “Cheryl’s been through her fair share of heartbreak and, after splitting from Liam, friends say that she’s been open and honest about her love life, and that she’s been keen to discuss mistakes she may have made or warning signs she may have missed. She’s found it really therapeutic. She’s feeling confident enough to put herself back out there and is open to falling in love again. She won’t let what happened with her exes ruin her hopes of finding someone special. In fact, friends wouldn’t be surprised if she was already dating someone new, but say she’s keeping her cards very close to her chest for the time being.”

Cheryl – who has endured two failed marriages, to footballer Ashley Cole and restaurateur Jean-bernard Fernandez-versini – surprised fans when she first went public with her romance with Liam, 24, in 2016, despite their ten-year age gap. But the pair seemed loved-up, and welcomed son Bear in March 2017 just over a year later.

However, insiders claimed cracks soon began to show over Liam’s habit of oversharing details about his relationship with Cheryl in interviews – famously revealing how she thought she was “huge” following the birth of Bear, and how she approved of the size of his manhood.

Sources claimed the singer also grew tired of his “single man behaviour”, after he was accused of getting too close to Rita Ora during stage performances and described Brazilian singer Anitta – real name Larissa de Macedo Machado – as “hot”.

Last week, the singer was pictured ❜ looking bleary-eyed as he partied with pals in Cannes and enjoyed attention from his female fans.

FIERY ROW

The source adds, “Cheryl learned a lot from her romance with Liam, and while she fell in love hard and fast, as soon as the honeymoon period was over she realised there were issues they couldn’t resolve, no matter how hard they tried to work through them.

“Now they’ve split, she’s taken a step back to see if perhaps it was too quick and she wasn’t looking at the bigger picture.”

Liam’s behaviour has continued to raise eyebrows in recent weeks. Following reports that he got into a fiery row with Cheryl’s second husband Jean-bernard in London bar Chiltern Firehouse last month, eyewitnesses claimed Liam had a second furious clash

❛REFLECTING ON PAST LOVES, SHE’S ADAMANT NOT TO REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES

with the restaurateur in a Monaco nightclub last week – reportedly calling him a c*** and threatening to “f*** his pals up” during a bathroom row.

The singer was also caught commenting on a photo of scantily-clad Rita Ora dressed in sexy lingerie, saying, “Hope to see you soon”.

And he set tongues wagging after leaking a snippet of his new song with the lyrics, “You’re playing with feelings like it’s truth or dare” – which some fans believe was aimed at Cheryl.

ANNOYED

Now insiders say Cheryl – who claimed JB’S “unreasonable behaviour” caused her to lose weight during their marriage – has told Liam to keep his dignity for the sake of their son.

A source adds, “Cheryl was annoyed by reports he had another clash with JB. Her marriage to JB is a time in her life she’d rather put behind her and forget. Friends say she’s told Liam she doesn’t need him to fight any battles on her behalf. She’s worried Liam’s behaviour comes across as silly, and he needs to remember he’s a father and keep his dignity.

“Her main aim is to keep things civil between them for Bear’s sake and focus on her new life as a single mum. Reflecting on her past failed relationships has now made her more adamant that she won’t repeat the same mistakes again. She’s looking forward to the future and hopefully a lasting romance where she can finally get her happy ever after.”