Cheryl is a national treasure in the UK. Her incredible talent and fashion style, along with her looks, have made her the British icon she is today. Who would’ve thought that the girl from Girls Aloud who loved to dance would become the woman she is now, admired by millions and considered to be one of Britain’s most influential celebrities.

The award-winning singer, who has recently made headlines thanks to her relationship with One Direction’s Liam Payne, has loved the spotlight since an early age. She started dancing very young and after entering a few modeling competitions, her name started to get recognition. However, it was after she participated in the show ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals and won a spot in the girl group Girls Aloud, that she became a household name. Cheryl joined the band along with Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh.

The group had many hits but eventually decided to part ways. This is when Cheryl’s solo career began. Besides singing, Cheryl has found success in many ventures. She has graced the cover of magazines like British Vogue as well as Elle and has also been the face of the cosmetic company L’Oréal. She has even participated as a judge for both the American and the British versions of The X Factor. Apart from her professional achievements, Cheryl has had very high profile relationships, which have also attracted tabloid attention. She has been married twice and is currently dating Liam Payne, and just gave birth to the couple's son.

She Was A Member Of Girls Aloud

In 2002, ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals assembled together one of the hottest bands of the UK in the early 2000s, Girls Aloud. The girl group was created by the show and included Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts, and Kimberley Walsh. Their pop style was iconic compared to what other bands were doing at the time, since they also experimented with other genres likes electropop and dance-pop. During their career together, they achieved twenty consecutive top ten hits, four of which went number one in the UK. They also had two number one albums, and seven total certified albums. They are considered to be the biggest selling girl group of the 21^st century.

They were so successful, Guinness World Records even awarded them the title “Most Successful Reality TV Group.” They were nominated for 5 Brit awards, and in 2009, they won one for their hit single “The Promise.” In 2009, Girls aloud took a year long hiatus, but never actually got back together until 2012. During this time Cheryl had already started her solo career.

She Started Her Solo Career In 2009

After Girls Aloud separated, which was a huge bummer the fans in the UK, Cheryl decided to do her own thing and start a solo career in 2009. In October of that same year, she released her debut album titled 3 Words. The album was a commercial success and had many hits songs. One of those singles,“Fight For This Love”, went number one in the UK charts. Exactly one year later, her second studio album came out, called Messy Little Raindrops. This album was also a national hit, and featured another number one single, “Promise This”.

Cheryl’s talent and perseverance couldn’t be stopped, it made her the international superstar she is today. After those two albums, she was already one of the best-established recording artists in the United Kingdom, and she wasn’t going to stop there. After Messy Little Raindrops, she went on to release two more albums, one in 2012, and another one in 2014.

First British Female Artist To Have 5 Number One Singles In The UK

After releasing 3 Words and Messy Little Raindrops, Cheryl released 2 more studio albums. In 2012 she released her third album, A Million Miles, which featured the number one single “Call My Name.” After that, Girls Aloud reconnected and released their last album together to this date. Once they separated in 2013, Cheryl continued her solo career and created her fourth album, Only Human. There were two singles in it that peaked number one in the charts, “Crazy Stupid Love” and “I Don’t Care”, among other songs that also achieved commercial success.

Cheryl went on to become the first female artist to have 5 number one singles in the UK and still holds the record, sharing it with another great artist, Jess Glynne. Cheryl accomplished all of this while being a regular judge on the hit TV Show, The X Factor. She has participated in both the American and British version.

She Was The Face Of L’Oréal In 2009

There’s no doubt that Cheryl is incredibly beautiful, seeing as she’s even modeled quite a bit. I’m sure if the music business wasn’t what she was made for, she could become one of the biggest international models today. Thanks to her cool style and public image, she has gained the attention of many fashion magazines and beauty products throughout the years. She appeared on the cover of British Vogue in 2009, which became the best-selling February issue in history. She also graced the cover of Elle magazine in November 2009. Apart from magazines, Cheryl was also the face of L’Oréal in 2009, the famous line of cosmetics and beauty products. She became so famous they even made a wax figure of her in the gallery of Madame Tussauds London.

Apart from her modeling ventures, Chery is also an author. The award-winning singer published a book entitled Through My Eyes, in 2010, and her autobiography, Cheryl: My Story, was published in 2012.

She Is An English Style Icon

It’s a sure thing that if you’re internationally famous and known all over the world, the paparazzi will eventually take some unflattering photographs of you wearing some sketchy clothes, but when it comes to Cheryl, only the opposite can be confirmed. Thanks to her public image, we have all come to known her fashion choices, and it seems she can do no wrong. Her style has become so iconic, British Vogue has come as far to say: “Her wardrobe choices have become as successful as her singles.” I’m sure they’d say the same for the white T’s and jeans I wear every day, too. Fans of her fashion style even tuned in to watch The X Factor just to see what Cheryl chose to wear for the show that day. Her outfits have been described as fashion-forward since they’re not really what we’re used to seeing on a daily basis. Keep on rocking those gowns, Cheryl.

Cheryl Has Been Dancing Since She Was Four

Cheryl Tweedy was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, has four siblings and is the daughter of Joan Callaghan and Gary Tweedy. Before Cheryl was the well-known star she is today, she was just a little kid that loved to dance. She started sequence dancing at the age of four and found an early passion for it. During her childhood, she continued her dance education by joining The Royal Ballet’s summer school when she was 9 years old and dreamed of dancing for a living.

She became really good, in fact, and even appeared dancing on many television shows in the UK One of her most recognized appearances was on the popular show Gimme 5 when she was 10 years old.

Cheryl has used her dancing skills to help her become the well-rounded artist we know. In 2010, she showed off her dance moves in a live performance of the song “Promise This” on The X Factor, which received a standing ovation from the judges and the audience.

She Was Married To English Football Player Ashley Cole

Cheryl's last name is pretty hard to track since she has changed it so many times. Nevertheless, a lot of us know Cheryl as Cheryl Cole, thanks to her relationship with the English football player Ashley Cole. And yeah, I mean the global definition of football, not American football. The couple began dating back in 2004. One year later, Ashley had already proposed to Cheryl in Dubai. They had a pretty high-profile relationship since they were both A-listers in England. Ashley and Cheryl wed on July 15, 2006. After the wedding, the couple signed a deal with OK! in order to grant the magazine the rights for the wedding photographs. The deal was reportedly worth 1 million euros.

The marriage didn't last, unfortunately. In February 2010, Cheryl announced she and Ashley were separated amid rumors the football player had cheated on her. They are still very supportive of each other.

Cheryl First Gained Recognition By Entering Modeling Competitions

As you can clearly see, Cheryl is stunning. Her looks have always attracted attention from the modeling industry, and different companies that have been interested in her as a spokesperson for their products. On YouTube, there’s even a video of Cheryl modeling as a little kid while dancing to keep the event interesting. It’s totally cute.

As a young woman, she started to get recognition as a model when she participated in many events, usually ending up at the top spot. She won many titles during her modeling ventures, including “bonniest lady” by Boots Group, “Best Looking Girl of Newcastle” by Happy Faces Portrait, “Little Miss and Mister” by The Evening Chronicle, and “Most Attractive Girl” by MetroCentre. She has also appeared on numerous adverts for British Gas, and one for Eldon Square, where she appeared alongside her brother, Gary. Once her career took off, her modeling opportunities also increased exponentially.

Named Best Dressed Woman By Glamour Magazine Twice

As we have previously stated, Cheryl can do no wrong when it comes to her fashion choices. People have always admired the way this artist dresses since she is a total international trendsetter. It doesn’t hurt that Cheryl is real pretty, too. She could be in pajamas and still look great. She was named Best Dressed Woman by Glamour two years in a row, both in 2009 and 2010, beating out other well-known fashion celebrities like Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham.

Cheryl has also won the Style Network Award for Best Dressed Woman and even won the award for Style Icon of the Decade. That’s pretty cool, to be honest. Thanks to her beautiful looks and style, she has appeared on the cover of the best fashion magazines, including British Vogue. Cheryl is so popular that when she graced the cover, she boosted the magazine circulation, making it the best-selling February issue ever.

Cheryl Has Topped FHM's Sexiest Women in the World Twice

FHM was one of the most viewed men magazines in the world. It was mostly known for listing their FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World every year, up until 2015 when the magazine suspended publication. Beautiful women like Halle Berry, Keira Knightley, and Gillian Anderson are just a few of those that have graced the top spot on the list. The yearly ranking started in 1995, and since 1996 it had been voted by the very own public who read the magazine.

Cheryl won that honor not once, but twice, in 2009 and 2010. She shares her double whammy with Jennifer Lopez, who also topped the list two years in a row. I’m sure FHM aren’t the only ones that have thought that way about Cheryl. Her beauty is certainly one of the main reasons everybody seems so attracted to her and keeps everyone interested in her personal life. Of course, that doesn’t take away the fact that she is incredibly talented and has a great personality as well.

She Married For The Second Time In 2014

You can probably tell by now that Cheryl is pretty popular with the boys. She is possibly every guy’s dream girl, and I bet you she’s pretty funny too. She has also caught the eye of many high-profile bachelors out there, including Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini. Cheryl and Jean-Bernard started dating in 2014 and after a whirlwind romance of 3 months, they got married in July of that year. Not much is known about the French guy that won Cheryl’s heart, but sometimes whirlwind romances aren’t meant to last. That seemed to be the case when it came to the couple. In October 2016, Cheryl was granted a separation from Jean-Bernard.

There were many rumors as to why the couple split, some tabloids said that Cheryl wasn’t over her ex Ashley, but I’m sure those were not true. Jean-Bernard has stated that he felt heartbroken and confused when it was over, but sometimes you just got to follow your heart.

She Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro In 2009

Apart from her professional career, Cheryl is also very active in charities and organizations that try to make the world a better place. In 2009, she boarded a plane to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief. Comic Relief is one of the UK’s biggest charities, they fund over 1000 projects all over the world. Many celebrities have shown their support for the charity, and Cheryl did not go on that adventure alone. Accompanying her on the trip were Denise Van Outen, Fearne Cotton, and fellow Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh. Most of the girls opted for practical clothes for their trip, but Cheryl kept her heels on until the very last minute. They even had to endure camp training before, and the whole thing was very new to the two of them.

It was a 10-day climb for the team, which also featured celebrities like Gary Barlow, Ben Shepard, DJ Chris Moyles, Alesha Dixon, and Ronan Keating. Together, they raised a total of 3,5 million euros for the organization.

She Launched Her Own Charitable Foundation

In 2011, Cheryl teamed up with The Prince’s Trust in order to provide vital funds to help disadvantaged people located near Cheryl’s region. The Cheryl Cole Foundation was meant for people with disadvantages in the North East that want to get their lives back on track and make something of themselves. Cheryl also auctioned over 20 dresses to raise funds for the organization.

She later teamed up with The Prince’s Trust again in 2015 and launched Cheryl’s Trust. The organization has helped fund a new state-of-the-art center in Newcastle that will help these disadvantaged children in the North East.

The entertainer has certainly done a lot of charitable work. In 2011, she also became one of the “Forces’ sweethearts” when she visited British soldiers in Afghanistan. In November 2016, she was named ambassador for Childline, a counseling service for children and young adults in the UK that have been mistreated in any way.

She Has Been A Judge On The X Factor

Cheryl first got involved with the show back in 2008, when she took part as a judge on the UK version of the popular music competition franchise. The show was created by Simon Cowell and has since expanded with versions all around the world. Cheryl mentored two winners of the competition, Alexandra Burke, and Joe McElderry. After some years being a part of the UK version, she decided to join the American adaptation of the show but left shortly after auditions began.

In 2014, she rejoined The X Factor UK for seasons 11 and 12. During her last season on the show, she announced she would not be returning next year. When asked about the subject, Simon Cowell, creator of the popular series, had nothing but nice things to say about Cheryl. “Cheryl and I spoke about this. I totally understand her commitment to making more records” – “She has been amazing on the show and in the near future we will be working on other things together.”

She Is Currently Dating Liam Payne

In 2010, One Direction was formed by the same TV show Cheryl worked on as a judge. The band comprised by Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Thomlinson, Harry Styles, and Zayn Malik, would later go on to be the huge hit they are today, and although they are currently on hiatus, the pop stars have continued with their success on other ventures. Harry is embarking on an acting career, Zayn is working on solo material, etc. Liam, on the other hand, has other events going on in his life.

In 2016, Cheryl and Liam Payne started dating, and have been happily photographed by the media for months now. Even though they share a very wide age gap, the couple seems like they get along very nicely. In March 2017, they even welcomed a son together. On regards to his newly born son, Liam said that welcoming him to the world is his favorite memory, and claims he was speechless when he arrived.