Cheryl Cole

Cheyl Cole was recently in Los Angeles

 

British pop singer Cheryl Cole and her England footballer husband Ashley Cole are to separate, her spokesman said on Tuesday.

Speculation has raged around the couple since fresh allegations of her husband’s infidelity came to light and this afternoon the 26-year-old released a statement that confirmed she was splitting from, her husband, ending the three-and-a-half-year marriage.

“Cheryl Cole is separating from her husband, Ashley Cole,” it said. “Cheryl asks the media to respect her privacy during this difficult time. We have no further comment to make.”

The singer jetted to the US after performing her song Fight for this Love at the Brit awards last week. After spending a week in the States, while her husband nursed a fractured ankle in their Surrey home, Cole flew back to Heathrow airport this morning wearing a trilby and large dark glasses, and no wedding ring.

Cheryl found fame with the girl band Girls Aloud and the couple wed in 2006. She became a British icon when she signed up to be a judge on Simon Cowell’s Xfactor, a talent show aired in the UK. Until today, Cole had kept a dignified silence about her husband’s string of alleged infidelities.

Her 29-year-old husband began his career as a defender with Arsenal, moving to their London rivals Chelsea in 2006. He has played more than 70 games for his country.