A decade in the life of 'pop princess' Cheryl Cole - GALLERY
It has been 10 years since Cheryl Cole appeared in ITV's Popstars: The Rivals
FROM a teen wannabe to the nation's sweetheart, its been a rollercoaster decade for Cheryl Cole.
It started with a trip from a humble Tyneside council estate to London for a TV talent show which ended in a glamorous A-list life.
Cheryl was just 19 in 2002 when she was chosen from ITVs Popstars: The Rivals as the first of five members of the all-girl pop group which would become Girls Aloud.
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Image 16 Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
!Cheryl Cole in pictures down the years
With her hair scraped back and wearing unflattering jeans and a choker, the shy and reserved Cheryl sang S Club 7s song, Have You Ever, in the initial audition.
Little was it known it was a performance that marked the beginning of a whirlwind decade which would see her storm the charts both with the group and as a solo artist, and amass a personal fortune of 12m.
When I turned up at the Popstars audition, I was going to walk straight back out. I thought I was going to vomit but I was persuaded to stay. Cheryl told the Chronicle at the time.
And it was the Chronicle who first spotted her potential when we named her our Star of the Future as a little girl who was also the winner of our Little Miss and Mister competition.
But her climb to the top of the showbiz ladder had a shaky start.
In the first year of Girls Alo! ud, Cher yl was given the nickname The Chav Princess. Her reputation wasnt helped when, in 2003, she was found guilty of causing actual bodily harm following an altercation with a nightclub toilet attendant.
Nevertheless in the following years Girls Aloud racked up 20 consecutive top 10 singles, including four number ones.
In 2004 she met footballer Ashley Cole and they soon wed after he proposed in Dubai.
But the romance hit the rocks in early 2008 when allegations emerged he had been unfaithful and two years later, Cheryl divorced the love rat.
Despite her personal life being in turmoil, she gave Vogue magazine its highest-selling February issue in 2009 and later won a lucrative advertising contract with L'Oreal.
Her solo career also took off and she moved to the US
Her first solo effort was the fastest selling single of 2009 and both solo albums charted at number one.