Why scared Cheryl is leaning on her exes
Cheryl has reached out to old flames Derek Hough and Liam Payne to help her navigate a difficult crossroads...
THIS COULD BE HER CHANCE FOR A BIG COMEBACK AND GIVE HER A CONFIDENCE BOOST
After it was revealed that Bruno Tonioli may miss out on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing if he remains stuck in LA due to travel restrictions around coronavirus, Cheryl was last week tipped as the bookies’ favourite to replace him as judge.
And pals say the mum of one, who turns 37 this week, has been leaning on her “amazing” ex, Derek Hough – who was a professional dancer on the US version of the show, Dancing With The Stars, for almost a decade – for advice.
Insiders say she’s particularly torn after her experience on BBC talent show The Greatest Dancer, which was launched in 2018 and axed earlier this year. After initial criticism of her being chosen for the role of mentor alongside professional dancers Oti Mabuse and Glee’s Matthew Morrison, she admitted she had the least dance experience, saying, “In terms of knowledge and stuff, they’re more qualified.”
A source tells Closer, “When Cheryl was first approached about replacing Bruno, she was thrilled but torn. She worried that if she wasn’t received well in such a high-profile role, it could further dent her already-damaged confidence. On the other hand, she knows it’s an incredible opportunity.”
Cheryl – who continued her post-Girls Aloud success with four top-ten solo albums and was dubbed “Princess Diana for the X Factor generation”, due to her sensitivity and compassion – has watched her crown slip recently.
After her nine-year contract with L’Oreal ended, her return to the music scene in September, following a four-year hiatus, was labelled a “disaster”. Her singles flopped and her performances were torn apart, and she was said to be left “devastated” when The Greatest Dancer was axed.
OPPORTUNITY
The source says, “She’s found it hard to deal with the career backlash and is scared to take on anything else that might bring negative attention. That’s why she reached out to Derek for help, knowing he’d be able to give her a hand in weighing up the pros and cons from his firsthand experience of working on the American show. Crucially, a fellow judge she’d be sitting alongside, Shirley Ballas, took in Derek after his parents divorced when he was 12 and he sees her as a second mother.
“Derek was amazing and took the time to talk through all her concerns, before urging her to seriously consider it. He insisted this could be her opportunity to make her big comeback and give her a much-needed confidence boost, which would help her in all aspects of her life, both in and out of the spotlight.
“He also said that Shirley – who she became close to during their relationship – would love to sit alongside her on the panel and would welcome her with open arms. That gave Cheryl comfort, knowing she’d be greeted with a friendly face and have that instant support from an insider.”
The pair met when Derek,
35, choreographed the video for Cheryl’s 2009 hit Parachute
– months after the singer gave her then-husband Ashley Cole a second chance after he was accused of having a one-night stand with hairdresser Aimee Walton, just 18 months after their fairytale wedding in 2006.
After their marriage ended a year later, amid further cheating allegations against the 39-yearold footballer, Derek and Cheryl became inseparable. The dancer barely left the heartbroken star’s side, whisking her off to South Africa following what she described as “the worst year of my life” to ring in 2011 together.
GLORY DAYS
Despite describing him as an “amazing, amazing person” and crediting him for “saving my life” after contracting malaria on their trip, they refused to discuss romance rumours, with Cheryl saying, “I am not confirming or denying anything. People can think he’s my boyfriend, people can think he’s my best friend.”
But in 2013, Derek finally admitted they had been an item, revealing, “We dated for a while. Absolutely we are still friends. We are still very close.”
In a clear nod to his respect for the notoriously private star – from whom he reportedly split two weeks before she was sacked from the US version of The X Factor in 2011 – Derek added, “I don’t speak about my time with her, as I think, often in this culture, people take advantage of their friendships. I’ve never spoken about her, as her friendship is important to me.”
And pals say the twicedivorced star – who’s remained single since her 2018 split from Liam Payne, 26, with whom she shares three-year-old son Bear – is longing to recapture her glory days and prove her critics wrong.
The source adds, “Liam’s also encouraged Cheryl to take the opportunity and heed Derek’s advice – offering to switch his schedule to ensure he can look after Bear if she’s worried about childcare. It’s all still very up in the air, but Cheryl’s feeling more confident about the prospect of taking the role and feels even more excited about the possibility, knowing the amount of support she has from her exes.” By Daisy McLure