Cheryl gets glammed up – but what’s the reason behind it?
She’s ramping it up for a red-hot return
They say red is the colour of passion, but we think it’s more the colour of, “Hey, check out what you lost, you idiot! ” Last week, clearly not wanting to fade into the background at a charity event, Cheryl stepped out in a low-cut red dress, with a thigh-high split and strappy red heels. And friends tell heat it’s all part of the singer’s sexy comeback plan, as she fights to shake off her recent mumsy image and compete against her music rivals. And, if it also happens to wind up her ex Liam Payne – the father of their one-year-old son Bear – so much the better…
“Cheryl is preparing for the release of her new single and is determined to look as hot as possible as she re-enters the spotlight,” says an insider close to the 35-year-old mum, who was out at the London Palladium to support her favourite charity, The Prince’s Trust. “She has been feeling very mumsy at times. At home, she mostly wears old jumpers and is covered in food! She’s more than ready to embrace her sexy side again, and knew she was going to cause a reaction in that red dress. She loved all the attention.”
It’s one of only a handful of public appearances the former X Factor judge has made since she split from 25-year-old One Direction singer Liam in July. He’s since been linked to a series of different women, including Rita Ora and model Cairo Dwek, which Cheryl hasn’t been over the moon about.
Our insider adds, “This new look is about Cheryl regaining her confidence. Her pride took a bit of a knock over the split and
she’s felt a bit insecure. A lot of people kept referring to the ten-year age gap and some of the comments made her feel like she was an old granny! And it really got to her that Liam was linked to gorgeous young women after they broke up. She’s determined to be seen as a sex symbol again, like she was in her Girls Aloud days.”
But friends say it’s also very much about making a big, fat point to her ex. We’re told, “Cheryl knows there will be lots of red-carpet and TV appearances coming up, and she knows Liam will be watching. She wants him to see exactly what he’s missing and know that he can’t have her any more. Of course, she wants to look better than any of the girls Liam’s been with recently. It’s how she’s dealing with the
‘This is about Cheryl regaining her confidence’
emotional fallout from their split.”
Which is all well and good – but insiders say Cheryl could be taking her quest for hotness too far. “In some ways, she hates the pressure she feels under to achieve this perfect image,” says our source.
“She’s working out constantly to get the ultimate six-pack, having loads of treatments for her skin, hair and body, and consulting endlessly with her stylist about different outfits and looks.
“She’s such a perfectionist, but it’s how she’s coping with the anxiety about her comeback.”