Tuesday, 23 September 2008

• Prev
• Next

Cheryl Cole gains weight at last

The X Factor judge is looking healthier and happier

Cheryl Cole shows off her healthier figure on the catwalk at Naomi Campbell's charity fashion show

Cheryl Cole is wowing audiences as an X Factor judge and, thanks to her improved confidence and happiness, she’s managed a 4lb weight gain despite the marital strains of the past year.

Although at just 7st 6lb she still looks thin, at last Wednesday’s Fashion For Relief event she definitely appeared healthier than the skeletal Cheryl we saw on a Thailand beach at the beginning of the year.

It’s another sign that things are on the up for Cheryl, 25, who appeared on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross last week wearing her wedding ring again, talking about the tough times she’s had with footballer husband Ashley, 27.

‘She’s feeling strong and very focused,’ a source tells Now. ‘Dealing with Simon Cowell and being independent from Ashley has given Cheryl a new sense of self-assurance and security.

'She’s told friends she hadn’t been feeling good about herself as a woman for a while, but she’s clearly back on track now.’

To read the full story see this week's issue of Now, dated 29 September