Marriage hell made me thin, says Cheryl
She’s divorced in 14 seconds
CHERYL Fernandez-Versini was granted a divorce in only 14 seconds yesterday after she blamed her second husband’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’ for her dramatic weight loss.
The former Girls Aloud star was handed a decree nisi ending her marriage to restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini at the Central Family Court in London.
In papers filed at the court the 33year-old singer, who now just calls herself Cheryl, cited the Frenchman’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’ as the reason for divorce, claiming it had caused her ‘stress and weight loss’.
Last year she provoked health concerns over her dramatic weight loss, with online critics questioning her skinny appearance.
Hitting back at one social media user who labelled her ‘a bag of bones’, the former X Factor judge appeared to blame her weight loss on the death of her father-in-law.
Writing on Instagram at the time, she said: ‘You have no idea what I have been through. Just loosing (sic) my father in law v recently and everything that comes with that. Not that I am or should justify myself to anyone.
‘But I am so sick of people thinking it’s OK to be mean or body shame anyone. And it’s always woman on woman. Have some respect and maybe think there may be reasons why before opening your mouth please.’
Cheryl and Mr Fernandez-Versini married on Mustique in the West Indies on July 7, 2014, having known each other for about 12 weeks after meeting at the Cannes film festival.
The couple, who were not in court yesterday, split at the end of last year after less than 18 months of marriage. It is understood they had signed a preup nuptial agreement, meaning Mr Fernandez-Versini walked away with none of Cheryl’s estimated £20million fortune. Both parties also signed a confidentiality agreement, preventing either from talking about their time together – or their split.
It means that any future autobiography deal for the singer will be noticeably devoid of a chapter about her second marriage, a clause potentially costing her hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The Daily Mail can also reveal that Mr Fernandez-Versini wants back a ring he gave the singer to mark their one-year anniversary. A family heirloom, it belonged to his late mother.
Last night a friend of Mr Fernandez-Versini said: ‘He gave her the jewellery to celebrate 12 months together.
‘It belonged to his mother. It is now the ten-year anniversary of her death and he desperately wants it back, but Cheryl still hasn’t posted it and has made no effort to return it. He is pretty upset and would like it back.’
However, a friend of Cheryl’s insisted that her ex had not once been in contact about the ring. The friend said: ‘Since they split up last year, Cheryl has not worn it. She put it in a safe and totally forgot about it because he has never asked her for it.
‘Cheryl finds it very weird that this has just come to light now but she will send the ring over to her lawyers immediately.’
The couple no longer communicate directly, instead speaking solely through their respective lawyers.
Cheryl is also said to be furious with Mr Fernandez-Versini for setting home a few miles from her in London. When the pair met, he was a restaurateur living in France and had few ties to the capital. But he is refusing to return to his homeland, and is instead about to launch a restaurant called Versini’s.
A friend of Cheryl’s said: ‘She doesn’t understand why he is still lingering around, and starting a new business in what is effectively her patch. She is incredibly frustrated.’
In February former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 23, revealed he was in a relationship with Cheryl. She is rumoured to be pregnant with his child but neither have confirmed this.
Cheryl divorced former England footballer Ashley Cole in 2010 after less than four years of marriage when it was revealed he had been unfaithful.
‘Incredibly frustrated’