THERE WAS ONLY EVER ONE DIRECTION FOR LIAM AND CHERYL

DON’T say “I told you so”. Don’t even think it. Ten-year-age-gap relationships can work. Yes, even when the woman’s the senior party My own with the lovely Ben who infuriatingly remains 10 years younger, against the odds and all predictions has lasted – so far – an astounding 12 years.

Liam and Cheryl, on the other hand, never seemed destined to last the long haul. He was just so achingly junior when their eyes met. A bedazzled 14-year-old he gazed upon the glamorous Cheryl with all the awe of a besotted fan stumbling into his idol’s orbit.

When Liam finally bagged Cheryl in 2015 he must have thought Christmas had come early. Yet the two never seemed in sync. She was the careworn veteran of two spectacularly crashed marriages. He was a carefree 23-year-old multimillionaire. Her career was pretty much in dry dock. His was stellar. She wanted marriage and babies. He gave her the child – the much beloved Bear – but not the wedded bliss. History has taught us the whole judge-marries-competitor thing doesn’t work. When the showbiz razzle-dazzle evaporates, on-screen relationships crumble.

It was quickly curtains for the marriage of Denise van Outen to her show’s winning Joseph: Lee Mead. Ulrika Jonsson tied the knot with the prize on her own game show, Lance Gerrard-Wright. Unsurprisingly their union speedily hit the buffers.

Cheryl and Liam’s split announcement states they are “in different stages of their lives”. No one’s going to argue with the blindingly obvious. Let’s wish them both better luck next time.