Cheryl Cole splits from husband Ashley
Updated on 23 February 2010
Cheryl Cole's spokeman confirms the singer is separating from her husband, Ashley Cole following further newspaper allegations about the Chelsea star.
In a statement, the singer's spokesman Sundraj Sreenivasan, said: "Cheryl Cole is separating from her husband Ashley Cole.
"Cheryl asks the media to respect her privacy during this difficult time. We have no further comment to make."
The news came just hours after the singer and X Factor judge, dressed in black, returned to the UK from Los Angeles amid chaotic scenes at London's Heathrow Airport.
She was then driven to the couple's £6m house in Surrey.
The news follows newspaper speculation about the state of the couple's four-year marriage.
The latest woman named as allegedly having had a fling with the footballer during a pre-season tour to the US in July, American local government worker Ann Corbitt, 28, refused to comment on the split.
In an email she wrote: "Please contact my representative, Max Clifford, at Max Clifford Associates in London."
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A Chelsea FC spokesman said: "This is a private matter for Ashley, but the club continues to offer him and his family all the support it can in dealing with it."
Cheryl Cole, 26, performed at last week's Brit Awards without her wedding ring, before flying to the United States.
The publicist Max Clifford said news of the separation was no surprise.
"I don't think Cheryl had any choice," he said.
"It must have been a hard decision because clearly she loves him and, in spite of everything, that will have been a very, very painful thing.
Lizzie Cundy, who is married to former footballer Jason Cundy, told Channel 4 News the couple now needed some privacy.
"I think they are owed a bit of time out," she said.
"They have been on the front cover of every newspaper for the last couple of weeks. Very intense."
