Cheryl Cole hides from the paps at Kimberley Walsh's Shrek leaving party

Above: Cheryl Cole hid from the paps as Kimberley Walsh made her final appearance in Shrek:The Musical

ABOVE: Kimberley Walsh was surrounded by paps as she left the West End for the final time

ABOVE: Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts also made sure she was by Kimberley Walsh's side for the night

ABOVE: Sarah Harding looked less than impressed to be spotted by photographers, while Cheryl slipped away

ABOVE: Cheryl Cole managed to get into the afterparty without being snapped, but Nicola Roberts was spotted

IT was a big night for one of her best girl friends last night - and Chezza wasn't about to steal the limelight from the real star of the evening.

Cheryl Cole tried to slip by the paps unnoticed as her fellow Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh enjoyed her final performance in Shrek: The Musical.

Cheryl flew back to London from Cannes 2012 to make sure she was there to celebrate Kimberley's West End leaving do alongside Nicola Roberts and Sarah Harding, meeting up with the girls backstage before watching Kimberley take to the stage one last time.

[ See more: Cheryl Cole strikes a pose on the red carpe! t in Can nes 2012, totally steals the limelight ]

And while it may not have been her big night, Cheryl was all too aware of the lurking paps outside, making sure she slipped away without being snapped as she sneaked into the afterparty before anyone noticed her.

The girls partied the night away in London's Vanilla nightclub, with Kimberley tweeting her way through each cocktail before heading home at 4am this morning.

[ See more: Cheryl Cole jets back to London after 24 hours in Cannes, makes sure she's here for Kimberley Walsh's big night ]