Cheryl has been left devastated by the Chelsea football star’s string of betrayals, has called time on her three-and-a-half-year marriage.

The 26-year-old this afternoon released a statement which read: ‘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.’

A source claimed: “Nadine tries to keep very private and believes that her success will come through her talent and not any kind of media circus which might surround someone’s private life.

“She thinks Cheryl is milking the whole situation surrounding her at the moment. Unlike Cheryl, who has a number of projects going on in the year, like The X Factor and various sponsorship deals, Nadine feels her career going forward will be focused solely on music.”

They added: “She hasn’t got the same contacts as Cheryl, nor the huge media profile, but she thinks that her music will say it all and she’ll have more credibility.

“Nadine always believed that she has the strongest voice and has no doubt that her music will do well. The next few months are crucial to her, so she’s keeping everything else, including Cheryl’s woes, at arm’s length.”

However, Coyle has repeatedly denied any rift with Cole and recently wrote on Twitter: “I’m hearing stupid talk about Cheryl and I having a fall out. Def NOT the case. I’ve written a song I’d love for us to duet on. Stay tuned.”

“Kate and Sam are saddened to announce that they separated earlier this year,” said a statement by lawyers Schillings.

Winslet, 34, and director Mendes, 44, married in a low-key private ceremony in the Caribbean in 2003.

It was Winslet’s second marriage, following her divorce from film director Jim Threapleton after three years of marriage.

The statement added: “The split is entirely amicable and is by mutual agreement.

“Both parties are fully committed to the future joint parenting of their children. They ask that the media respect the privacy of the family.”

The couple have one child together, Joe, while Winslet has a daughter, Mia, from her first marriage.

Winslet won an Oscar for best actress for her role in The Reader in 2009.

The actress shot to global stardom in 1997 as the romantic heroine in James Cameron’s Titanic – until recently the most successful movie of all time.

Mendes, an acclaimed director of both stage and film, won a best director Oscar for American Beauty in 2000. He also directed Road to Perdition (2002) and Revolutionary Road (2008).

Singer Howard Donald romped with 28-year-old Merith Van Onselen behind the back of the mother of his youngest daughter at the height of the group’s comeback after wooing her while high on cannabis.

Our new revelations emerge as shamed bandmate Mark Owen begins rehab for booze addiction after stunning fans by admitting cheating on wife Emma with ten different women.

Howard, 41, was in a relationship with Marie Christine Musswesseles and portraying himself as a doting dad to their little girl Lola while he was secretly bedding Merith at his London home.

Today Merith tells the News of the World how the star swept her off her feet in a dope-filled club in Berlin where he was working as a house DJ in July 2008.

“He made it clear that he fancied me. But he smoked a joint to get the Dutch courage to tell me,” says the beauty.

“The first time I met him I told him I was married and he pulled a sad face and shrugged. I thought that was the end of it.”

But determined Howard spent SIX MONTHS bombarding her with raunchy emails. He also sent her a picture of him smoking a cannabis spliff at a DJ gig in Berlin – where smoking dope is legal – with the message: “It’s a horrible pic but I like the look of the joint!!”

Merith says: “He said cannabis gave him confidence and kept telling me he had been thinking about me all the time. We kept running into each other at different DJ nights. He would say I was beautiful and special.

“Then one day I gave in. It was the start of a passionate relationship. He has a very high sex drive. He wanted exciting sex and he sure got what he was looking for.”

While the Rule The World singer was chasing Merith, his unsuspecting girlfriend Marie, 32, was looking after Lola, now five, at their home in Berlin.

He offered Merith a shoulder to cry on over her troubled marriage to Dave Koevarmans, the father of her three-year-old son. And he told her HIS relationship with Marie was also failing as he desperately tried to bed her.

Howard finally got Merith between the sheets in January last year at the £390-a-night Sheraton Hotel in Hanover. They kissed but stopped short of having full sex till a month later.


The star paid for Merith to visit him in London the following month. But days before she jetted out, he told her he was racked with GUILT about having an affair with a married woman.

And the devious singer – worried about being found out – warned her they had to take their relationship slowly as they both had partners.

Merith says: “He said to me he was worried about what I was telling my husband. He told me we shouldn’t throw ourselves in too deep to start with and said, ‘I hope your husband doesn’t find out’.”

After Howard picked her up from Heathrow in his Audi, he quickly whisked her back to his town house in West London for their first night of passion.

The singer immediately led her to his bedroom and slowly stripped her down to her lacy underwear. She says: “I think we were both frustrated after all the texts and emails. So even though we wanted to take it slowly, we just couldn’t help ourselves.

“I’m glad I made sure I was wearing some sexy knickers because as soon as we got into his house he took off my clothes and slowly kissed me.

“The sex was very passionate and I think we both felt it was right. I didn’t feel like we were rushing things.” The pair spent three days making love in the star’s home. Merith says: “Howard spoke a lot about feeling guilty about Marie. He was so confused and kept saying to me, ‘Look at the big picture, you are married and I am still in a relationship’.

But when Merith returned to her family in The Hague he suddenly fogot about his guilt and bombarded her with emails begging her to return to London. She joked that she was sending him a dikke knuffel (that’s Dutch for a big hug).

She says: “We were in contact every day and he would tell me that he missed me. We would talk about what we would do to each other when I visited again.

“Howard loved the Dutch phrase dikke knuffel. It means big hug so when he was feeling down I’d send it him it to cheer him up.”

Just a week after her previous visit, she was back in Howard’s arms in London. He even gave her a key to his plush townhouse.
Merith says: “There’d been a lot of arguing with my husband and I just wanted to get away from it all. Howard was just brilliant to me and I loved spending time with him. It was exciting. There was an urge there which I hadn’t felt in years.”

When she returned home she asked her childhood sweetheart Dave for a divorce after 10 years together. She told him who she was seeing. “He was very upset and he kept asking me why Howard? Why someone from Take That? But my marriage had not been working for a long time and I wanted a divorce.”

Merith started to spend more and more time in London with the star and he juggled their romance with his performances to crowds of almost 80,000-a-night as part of the Take That Circus tour which saw him earn a cool £1 million.

He even introduced her to the rest of the band. “I met them all and they were all lovely to me. None of them appeared bothered that I was with Howard despite him already having a girlfriend,” says Merith.

“And they must have all met Marie and know his daughter.”

When he was rehearsing for the sell out tour, he would hand Merith £300 lump sums so she could shop on upmarket Kensington High Street.

She says: “Even if he was really busy we would have breakfast and dinner together.

“Sometimes he would text me to say he had a free 15-minutes and to pop to Starbucks near his home to meet him.

“It wasn’t just sex, it was much more than that. I was falling in love with him. It was hard not to.” She adds: “We always laughed a lot about silly things. When I visited London one time he said he had left a gift in the fridge for me. It was chocolate covered Turkish delight. I loved it. But he had taken a nibble out of every one.”

During their romance, Merith noticed that Howard steered clear of dope when he was in the UK to abide by the law. He caused a storm in 2007 by suggesting cannabis should be legalised here.

But he took full advantage whenever they were in Holland where it is legal to smoke in special cafes.

“We spent a lot of time in Amsterdam as Howard liked the carefree attitude to drugs there,” she says. “But I couldn’t understand why he liked it. I never smoked with him.”

Gradually Howard seem to become more relaxed about his relationship with Merith. He started calling her his ‘little princess’ when she met his friends.

Then, in April, he introduced her to his older daughter Grace, 11, and her mother – his ex-girlfriend Victoria Piddington, 39 – on a trip to Bournemouth. He left Victoria for Marie in 2004 but they remained friends.

Merith says: “I got on well with really well with Victoria. Howard introduced me as his friend and she laughed and said, ‘We all know that’s not true’. We spent a lot of time in Bournemouth in the spring. At that point it was as if Marie wasn’t in his life any more. He was introducing me to his friends and his family. He kept telling me I was special and I believed him.”

But after the trip to Bournemouth their passion began to fade.

“He didn’t seem as interested any more,” she says. “When I asked what was going on between us, he said he was always holding back and never releasing himself 100 per cent because of both our situations.

“He said, ‘I probably allowed you to get too close to me which gave me those nice feelings in my belly but what I really need to use is my head and not my heart.’ It was so hard to hear.”

They met in London for the final time last October. After that he stopped inviting her to London and failed to reply to her emails and text messages.” Then he called me before Christmas to say he had split with Marie,” says Merith. “He made it clear he wanted to talk to me as a friend. I have spoken to him a few times since.

“Howard was upset that he had to split his time between England and Germany to see his kids. He told me it would be even more difficult with me as well and I think that’s probably why he stopped seeing me. His children were so important to him.”

The star has always gone to great pains to promote a nice family man image for Take That Fans. He gave an interview to OK magazine that he wanted more children with Victoria before walking out on her. And he opened a concert for Children in Need with Take That.

Now Merith is trying to put her shattered life back together. Next month she will be forced to move out of her home after her divorce is finalised. She says: “Howard still has his life and family and friends. Nothing has really changed for him. But I risked a lot more.”

Howard and the rest of Take That spent last week recording with Robbie Williams for the first time in 15 years. It was disrupted later in the week by Mark Owen’s problems.

Merith says: “Mark’s been a naughty boy but it doesn’t surprise me at all. The only thing that shocked me was how many people he had been cheating with.

“All this just shows how certain members of the band are very different to how they appear to their fans.”
***************************************
Love cheat Mark Owen’s heartbroken wife is struggling to forgive the singer after his confession to a string of affairs hit her ‘like a bolt out of the blue’.

Devastated mother-of-two Emma, 32, who married the Take That star just five months ago, has told friends she is finding it difficult to come to terms with the scale of her husband’s drunken infidelities.

‘I don’t know what to do. I need at least a week to think about what I want to do. I don’t know the man I’ve married – this isn’t him,’ she told a friend.

On Wednesday, Owen, who is now desperate to save his marriage, admitted to having at least 10 flings.

Emma is absolutely mortified and as things stand, she doesn’t think she can take Mark back,’ the friend told the Sunday Mirror. ‘The sheer scale of the betrayal is so huge.

‘Almost overnight, Emma has gone from being in what she thought was a happy marriage to finding out her husband is a serial adulterer with a big drink problem.’

As his marriage teeters on the brink following his confession, Owen has checked himself into rehab.

The guilt-ridden star, 38, was forced to come clean to flings with girls on tour and an affair spanning five years with accounts manager Neva Hanley, 24.

And after being thrown out of home by Emma, Owen entered a clinic on Friday to be treated for his drinking.

The singer, previously best known for his squeaky clean image, will also undergo intensive therapy.

A source said: ‘Mark has made the difficult decision to check into a clinic to deal with his issues, which include drinking.
Mark Owen

Strain: Mark Owen’s wife Emma wasn’t wearing her wedding ring as the couple returned to their south London home yesterday

‘Obviously, he has got a lot to work out – he needed urgent help.’

‘Emma is so angry and devastated that she had thrown Mark out of their home and has taken off her wedding ring.

Heartbroken Cheryl refused to speak to him, see him or even allow him into the same room as her at their £3million mansion.

She stayed out of sight in the living room in a humiliating snub to philandering Cole, who was given just a few minutes to pack some clothes.

Then enraged Cheryl got her mother Joan, 50, to show him the door.

Just hours earlier Cole, 29, had been bragging to friends that he expected to win back X ­Factor judge Cheryl despite repeatedly cheating on her.

He arrived at short notice on Friday night ­assuming he would get his first opportunity to grovel in person since Cheryl, 26, ordered him out of the Surrey mansion three weeks ago.

But Cheryl who has been forced to cancel diary engagements after being struck down with bronchitis steeled herself to blank him in what friends will interpret as a decisive message that there is now no way back for their marriage.

A source revealed: “Cheryl was furious that he just turned up and was even more angry when he thought they would be able to talk.

“She’s sick to death of being labelled a pushover. She’s going to talk to him on her terms when she wants to. She was livid that he turned up at the house with hardly any warning.”

The England defender arrived shortly after 7.15pm in the back of a 4X4, ducking down to try to avoid being pictured.


Less than half an hour later, he left apparently concealed in the boot of a Range Rover which sped off towards central London with bags of his ­possessions piled up on the back seat.

Cole is walking on crutches as he recovers from a broken ankle which has called into doubt his participation in this summer’s World Cup.

A source said: “It must have been agony for him in the boot given his injury – but it was a pretty fitting exit.”

Earlier, he had been so sure that Cheryl might consent to a reconciliation that he was even telling friends she would join him for marriage ­counselling.

A source close to the £82,000-a-week Chelsea star said: “Ashley’s been very cocky about the whole ­situation this week – bragging saying they’ll be back together soon. But it couldn’t be more different for Cheryl.

“Ashley says he thinks there will be a proper separation for three to six months and ­hopefully that will be long enough for Cheryl to get things clear in her head.

“Then he hopes the pair will be able to mend their marriage. As far as Ashley’s concerned this will not end in divorce. The D word hasn’t been mentioned. He’s not going to give up on their marriage without a fight.”

But the hostile reception he got after returning home in Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s private jet from the French sports clinic where his ankle was being treated will have stung even thick-skinned Cole.

“Cheryl can barely talk,” added our source. “Joan’s been looking after her and she’s feeling like hell. She pulled out of all her promotional duties this week. For Cheryl to pull out of anything to do with work means she’s really ill.

“Cheryl’s said if she feels well enough then they can talk. But only if she’s well enough.”

Friends of hers fear the stress of the separation is taking its toll on the Girls Aloud star. “She’s ­finding it hard to sleep, she’s an ­emotional wreck and she’s cut down her eating again,” said one.

Last weekend the strain was all too clear to see when Cheryl was spotted returning from Denmark with a cold sore on her lip – a condition often triggered by stress.

“She just wants to get every detail clear in her head over whether her marriage is worth saving,” said the friend.

A strained-looking Cheryl and Ashley were last pictured together on February 12 when she picked him up from hospital in North London following his ankle injury.

It was the day after it was ­revealed how Cole had been sending lurid text pictures to ­glamour model Sonia Wild. In the days that followed a string of different women came forward to say he had cheated with them too.

Cheryl – who took Ashley back in 2008 after hairdresser Aimee Walton told how he had sex with her – moved out of the couple’s ­mansion and into a London hotel.

After the BRIT awards, she fled to Los Angeles, ordering Ashley to be out of their home by her return.

She announced their split on February 23 as she arrived back at Heathrow.

There was no sign of Ashley in the stands as Chelsea beat West Ham 4-1 yesterday.

Police are investigating after being contacted by a man – thought to be Catherine’s husband Twig Clark, 36.

The level of abuse aimed at 41-year-old Catherine has left her very concerned.

A source said yesterday: “The letters were nasty and caused great alarm. They contain completely false allegations. Catherine is understandably incredibly upset. It’s very sinister.”

The notes were sent over several days to Catherine’s home in Richmond-upon-Thames, South West London.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Police received a complaint from a man on Sunday regarding malicious communications. Detectives are investigating.”

A family friend yesterday added: “Catherine and Twig are wondering what type of crank would send letters like these.

“They’ve been through a difficult patch recently and this is the last thing Catherine needs.”

Her agent refused to comment last night, saying: “We don’t talk about clients’ private lives.”

According to The Mirror, the Take That star is currently sleeping on a blow-up bed at a friend’s flat after admitting his infidelity in a private discussion with his partner on Tuesday.

It is thought that Emma, who has two children with the singer, told her husband: “Get out. You’re a liar and a cheat.”

A source told the newspaper: “If Mark can keep his marriage together it will be a total miracle. He can say whatever he wants, but Emma doesn’t know how she can ever trust him again.”

The insider added: “It turns out that he has betrayed her throughout their relationship. He’s not the nice man she thought he was.

“She was in a state of shock when Mark finally confessed all on Tuesday. She listened calmly and then told him to leave straight away. He didn’t even have time to pack his bags.”

Reports suggest that Owen confessed all after hearing that one of his secret partners, 24-year-old Neva Handley, had decided to sell her story.

The singer blamed a long battle with alcohol for his infidelity and said he was ‘deeply sorry’ for the pain he had caused Emma, whom he married in October after more than five years together.
The couple have two children – Elwood, three, and Willow Rose, one.
One ongoing affair, with an account manager Neva Hanley, 24, started around the same time he began dating Emma, he revealed in a confession to The Sun.

His other indiscretions were alcohol-fuelled one-night stands that took place while he was on various tours with the band.

‘I don’t know how many girls there were in all. Maybe ten,’ he told the newspaper.

His secret relationship with Hanley began in 2004 when they met on a train station platform in Preston.

He flew her Los Angeles three weeks later which marked the beginning of their physical relationship.

They soon met up again at his Lake District home where they smoked cannabis and drank vodka together before having sex.

They continued to meet up occasionally in various hotels – they were together just one week after Owen’s daughter was born and a month before his wedding day.

He also admitted to sending her £12,000 in cheques from his personal account, including £9,000 after he finally called off the affair following his nuptials in Scotland late last year.
Owen admitted his drinking had put a strain on his relationship with Emma and admitted he was ‘not very nice to live with’.

‘I denied to her I was having an affair when things were going on. I want to do the right thing now for the kids and Emma. She is absolutely without a doubt the only person I want to be with for the rest of my life.’

He also claimed his Take That bandmates Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Jason Orange were unaware of his affair with Hanley, but he did not say if they knew of his many liaisons on tour.

In a statement released today, Owen, 38, said: ‘I’m so deeply sorry for the pain my actions have caused my family and friends.

‘I’d like to ask the media to please respect the privacy of my wife and children during this difficult time.’

We say >>>>> Mark you are a coward, you should have confessed ALL, before your Marriage!.

The singer has been looking at two luxury properties after telling friends her marital home holds too many painful memories.

She is expected to make a decision soon on buying a new place probably still in the Surrey area,
reports The Mirror.

A source said: “Cheryl does not want the separation to be a long, drawn-out affair.

“She wants to find somewhere quickly so she can regain stability and become settled once more.

“If she can’t find somewhere she likes she’ll consider rented accommodation in the short term.”
Since finding fame with Girls Aloud, Cheryl, 26, has managed to build herself a personal fortune of more than £6million.

She earns £1.2million a year as a judge on X Factor, while her ad deals for Chocolate bars, Coke Zero and L’Oreal are worth another £2.4million.

Her wealth is set to increase further following her huge success as a solo artist with hits such hits Fight For This Love, 3 Words and Parachute.

News of her house-hunting is likely to come as a major blow to Ashley – reinforcing how determined she is
to move on.


She may ask the £100,000-a-week Chelsea footballer, 29, to buy her half of the £3.5million house near Godalming when he returns from France where he is being treated for a broken ankle.

The source added: “It’s a real shame because Cheryl loved that place. But all her memories of it have been soured by what’s gone on.”

The minister who conducted the service doesn’t have a proper licence.

Experts say Rev Mose Henney is not registered to marry couples in Las Vegas after being forced to resign in disgrace over a sex scandal, reports The News Of The World.

Henney, 67, admitted “inappropriate sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, with three adult women” at a church in Wisconsin eight years ago.
Jordan’s wedding certificate is clearly signed by Henney.
But government officials say his licence to marry should have been revoked more than three years ago.

American family law experts insist ALL services by Henney, who conducted the couple’s wedding at the Wynn Hotel on February 2, are now VOID.

It means Alex and Jordan’s brief marriage could be over before it started.
It comes after the couple got involved in a bitter bust-up in Los Angeles over her ex Peter Andre bedding a Jordan lookalike, revealed by us last week. Bruised Alex, who has not signed a pre-nup, told friends afterwards: “I’m going to get dumped.”

If they do break up, doubts over the legitimacy of the marriage could save Jordan, 31, from paying Alex any of her £30million fortune.

When the News of the World told Henney he was not registered correctly. He said: “You’ve got to be kidding. This is something I need to straighten out.”

Married Henney moved to Las Vegas after quitting the Lutheran church in Wisconsin. He registered with the Lamb of God Church then left for the St Andrew’s Lutheran Church three years ago.