YL’S SHOCK ME THE NATION’S GAIN
Cheryl is more scared than she’s letting on and is pulling out all the stops to win over the public again, including appealing to mums by sharing more about her 22-month-old son, Bear – whom she shares with ex Liam Payne.
The source reveals, “Cheryl is feeling more pressure than ever to pull things back from the brink. She can’t help but feel this is her last shot at trying to recapture the sparkle that made her the nation’s sweetheart.
“She fears that Simon has deserted her and she doesn’t have anyone to turn to. She really misses having the advice of her old manager Will.i.am, as well as working with top music producers like Calvin Harris. It feels as though her glory days are behind her, but she’s not ready to admit defeat. Her fan base – whom she calls her soldiers – have always been loyal, but they’re growing up and changing their music tastes. So Cheryl is looking into ways she can endear herself to an older fan base.”
CHANGE OF HEART
After years of being a recluse, Cheryl has performed a drastic U-turn amid her comeback. Over the past few months, the usually private star has given a series of interviews, including appearing on The Graham Norton Show. And last week, she was a guest on Michael Mcintyre’s Big Show and allowed for all of her personal phone contacts to be sent a joke message by the comedian. Victoria Beckham was contacted – who replied – as did Piers Morgan and Geri Horner.
In another uncharacteristic move, Cheryl posted pics of Bear to Instagram on New Year’s Eve, referencing the mum “juggle”, as well as sharing a never-before-seen image from his first birthday party. In November, she spoke about her decision to keep Bear away from the limelight, saying, “I’m not going to take his childhood away from him and expose him like that! It’s not my decision to make. And there’s trolls everywhere.”
But pals have been quite shocked she’s had a change of heart, and think her son will win her a new following, though she’s been very careful not to post anything that will identify him.
The source says, “Cheryl loves being a mum and has always been adamant about keeping Bear out of the spotlight, but she does want to open up to fans in the hope it’ll increase her popularity and thinks talking about being a mum is one way to do that.”
As Closer previously reported, Cheryl has also been worried that Liam won’t be around to support her when he moves on in his next relationship. The 1D star reportedly partied in Ghana for New Year’s Eve, and was pictured getting close with stunning actress Eku Edewor, 32.
A source says, “It doesn’t help seeing Liam party with an attractive actress. She knows now more than ever that she needs to stay relevant and win back public support.”