Singer Cheryl is in final stage talks to return to television as a coach on the ITV talent show The Voice UK, almost two years after the death of her former partner Liam Payne.
The 43-year-old star is expected to begin filming next month for next year's series of the show, known for its revolving chairs. The appearance will mark her first major television role since serving as a judge on The Greatest Dancer in 2020. Cheryl has also signed a new skincare deal with Nivea announced on Thursday, which is understood to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The surprise comeback follows a six-year period during which Cheryl lived a quiet life at her Buckinghamshire mansion with her nine-year-old son, Bear, shunning media attention and stepping back from regular television work.
Insiders report that her decision to return to screen is driven entirely by her desire to make her son proud. A source stated that Cheryl finally feels strong enough to resume her career, noting that Bear was too young to watch her on television during her last major broadcasting project.
"Bear has never seen her on television, so how lovely would it be for him to see his mummy on TV doing something she used to love," the source said. "Cheryl's priority has been her son and there have been some very difficult times, not just after Liam's death, but before it too, so work was a no no, as was living in the public domain."
The source added: "The Voice is fun, it's pre-recorded and it's the perfect way for her to dip her toe back into television and give Bear something to really smile about. It has been a hideous time for him since his father died, it has broken the hearts of Liam's entire family."
Payne, a former member of the boy band One Direction, died in 2024 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires following a drugs and alcohol binge. The couple were together from 2016 to 2018, having first met on The X Factor in 2008 when Payne was a 14-year-old contestant and Cheryl was a 24-year-old judge. They began dating eight years later when he was 22 and she was 32.
Following Payne's death, which devastated his family, Cheryl withdrew from television to focus on raising Bear privately. The new role on The Voice UK is intended to bring joy to her son after what sources described as a painful period for the child.
The Voice Comeback and ITV Ratings Coup
Network bosses at ITV have sought to recruit Cheryl for several years, viewing her return as a major ratings coup following her celebrated tenure on The X Factor. Reports had linked her to The Voice UK last year, but terms could not be agreed, with insiders suggesting the offer came too soon after Payne's death.
Sources indicate that filming for the new series will go ahead as planned, with ITV executives considering the show a far less stressful assignment for the singer than past projects. "The X Factor was a gigantic operation, The Voice is a much less terrifying prospect for her so there are a lot of happy people at ITV right now," a source said.
Her role on the judging panel will reunite her with American rapper and Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am, who has served as a coach on The Voice UK since the show launched in 2012. The pair formed a close bond in 2008 when they collaborated on the song Heartbreaker, and Will.i.am remained a steadfast friend during key moments in her career.
Will.i.am previously supported Cheryl after she was dropped from the American version of The X Factor by executive producer Simon Cowell in 2011. Cowell hired Cheryl for the US launch after her success on the UK panel, but network executives replaced her with Nicole Scherzinger after only a few audition rounds. Executives expressed concern that American audiences would not understand her Geordie accent and cited a lack of chemistry with fellow judge Paula Abdul.
Cowell later acknowledged that Cheryl lacked confidence during the American auditions because she was still dealing with the aftermath of her divorce. A friend recalled meeting Cheryl at a members' club in Notting Hill, west London, where the singer confessed that being dismissed from the American show had damaged her confidence and turned her against public fame.
Rise to Stardom and High-Profile Marriages
Cheryl first achieved national fame in 2002 as a contestant on the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals, securing a place in the pop group Girls Aloud. She went on to achieve widespread popularity both as a pop star and as a judge on the UK version of The X Factor.
In 2004, her public relations team formally announced that she was dating Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole. The couple married and quickly became one of Britain's most prominent celebrity couples, often compared to David and Victoria Beckham.
During the early years of her career, Cheryl was eager to speak with journalists about her ambitions, frequently expressing her desire to become a young mother with a large family while maintaining her music and television career.
In 2007, she recalled ordering Cole to reject a lucrative transfer from Arsenal to Spanish club Real Madrid. Speaking over a cocktail at the West End nightclub Paper, she said: "I couldn't let him do that. I'm a Girl Aloud, it's my job. I love it and I won't let the other girls down and move to Spain." She also invited reporters to join her hen party at the West End venue Umbaba.
The marriage collapsed in March 2010 following repeated reports of Cole's infidelities. Allegations surfaced that Cole had sent nude photographs of himself to model Sonia Wild, then 28, which he denied. Further claims were made by Vicki Gough, a 30-year-old secretary for Liverpool FC, who stated she had sex with Cole on two occasions before major matches, and by American Ann Corbitt, who alleged Cole slept with her in a Seattle hotel room during a Chelsea pre-season tour.
Cheryl was left heartbroken by the revelations, with an associate noting that Cole was "the love of her life." The couple divorced in 2010. She later married French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2014, but the second marriage was also short-lived.
Private Life in Buckinghamshire and West End Return
Following her separation from Fernandez-Versini and the end of her relationship with Payne in 2018, Cheryl chose to retreat from public life. For the past six years, she has resided at her Buckinghamshire home with her son, avoiding romantic entanglements and limiting her commercial engagements.
While she stepped away from broadcast television, she returned to public performing in 2024 to join her former bandmates for a Girls Aloud reunion tour. She also starred in London's West End, taking on the lead role of Jenny in the thriller 2:22 A Ghost Story. Prior to her upcoming project on The Voice UK, her last television role was on the BBC dance competition The Greatest Dancer in 2020.
Her relationship with the media underwent a marked transformation over the course of her career. In her early twenties, Cheryl engaged lightheartedly with press reporting and was frequently pitted against fellow X Factor judge Dannii Minogue in weekly coverage comparing their fashion choices and competing for Cowell's favor. On one occasion, after speculation arose that she was pregnant when she stepped back from public appearances for several weeks, she giggled with her bandmates while clarifying at a west London hotel that she had actually undergone foot surgery.
However, as media scrutiny intensified following her divorce and firing from US television, Cheryl withdrew from press interactions. By October 2011, when attending the Pride of Britain awards, she offered a wave from her table but declined to speak with journalists.
Although she initially refused to work with Cowell after her dismissal from the American show, she eventually agreed to return to the UK X Factor panel in 2014. Friends note that her decision to join The Voice UK marks a fresh chapter, allowing her to balance her public career with her primary commitment to her son.
