Si: My battler Cheryl

SIMON Cowell praised battling pal Cheryl Cole as she divorced cheating hubby Ashley yesterday, saying: "I don't know how she coped."
The X Factor guru believes Cheryl, 27, can now put her troubles behind her and enjoy life again.

She is now "in a better place" after overcoming malaria and finalising her divorce, says Simon.

The X Factor mogul, 50, believes Cheryl's brush with the potentially deadly disease was "a wake-up call" that changed her outlook on life.

He praised Cheryl for her strength in coping with the strain of her split from Chelsea and England star Ashley - which was finalised in the divorce courts yesterday.

Fellow judge Louis Walsh last night admitted he NEVER thought Cheryl and Ashley would split. But he added: "I wish her all the best. I'm happy for her if she's happy."

Simon told The Sun: "My feeling when I spoke to her recently was that she was feeling in a better place mentally.

"No one wants to go through malaria, but she has definitely come out with a different perspective and I think you will see a sharp, focused Cheryl Cole when she returns to X Factor.

"She seems more focused and it was a wake-up call to her. At the end of the day your health is the most important thing."

Simon said he had been in constant touch with the star, who was forced to pull out of the X Factor auditions after contracting malaria during a trip to Tanzania.

He said: "We have spoken a lot, and now she has got a sense of perspective on life.

"In a weird way this has helped manage her life better. I think she is going to appreciate what she has and enjoy it more.

"I am not even putting the personal stuff into this as well. You have to deal with that and I don't know how she coped with that to be honest."

Simon - speaking shortly before the divorce was granted in the High Court yesterday - told of his fondness for the nation's new sweetheart and said she was a dead cert to land a job on the US X Factor, due to kick off this time next year.

He also revealed he had tried to get her to cut down her workload, saying: "I told her I understand the pressure - you want to be successful, you want to carry on doing what you are doing.

"But there is a massive amount of pressure that you are going to feel.

"She was thrown right into the middle of this.

"She was in a group, she is a solo artist, she is a star on the X Factor, she does all these campaigns.

"At some point I think you start to feel guilty about letting people down.

"And my advice to her was - 'You don't have to feel guilt, you have a choice now to choose what you want to do. And it's for you and not the people around you'.

"We used to talk a lot and we still do have these conversations."

Simon admitted Cheryl's malaria diagnosis came as a huge shock to him and his fellow judges, who had at first joked with Cheryl assuming she had a hangover.

Cheryl collapsed during the X Factor's Cardiff auditions, just two days after celebrating her birthday with a boozy party.

Simon said: "We didn't know what was going on. I remember saying funnily enough that she had gone to Africa for a trip and had come back for filming and I thought she was a bit off-colour, but more personality than physically.

"And then the day it kicked off we actually thought she had a hangover, so we were winding her up all day, and she was sleeping it off or whatever.

"And then of course we realised that it was serious a couple of days later. I got the call from her manager who told me just how serious this really was.

"In that situation you are not even thinking about the show at that point. You are just thinking, 'I hope she is going to be OK'.

"I didn't know much about it, but apparently it was a serious strain. We were very, very worried about her, she was seriously ill.

"When I knew she was on the mend, we got all the doctors' reports, she was kind of back to normal.

"And then I think within about a week she started getting in contact asking us when she was going to the home visit shows or something.

"She was ill, went home, got grumpy, got bored, and then wants to come back to work."

Simon said Cheryl is champing at the bit to get back on the show, and will film her judge's houses round later this month.

He said: "She can't wait to do it. She made a decision what she wanted to do, what she didn't want to do, because obviously under doctor's orders that was the case anyway."

Cheryl will whittle down the X Factor's girls category after Louis landed the over-28s, Simon took the groups and Dannii Minogue the boys.

Simon, who got Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger to stand in for Cheryl, admitted she may have been given an "easy ride" with the girls.

Meanwhile Louis said he was convinced that Cheryl would get back with cheating Ashley, 29.

He added: "I wish her all the best but honestly I never thought they would break up. I still thought she might have taken him back.

"But I'm happy for her if she's happy and I can't wait for the live shows to start. She always gives it 100 per cent. She's so vibrant and I hope she's happy, I really do."

Cheryl recently told how she can't wait to return to the X Factor.

She said: "I'm absolutely gutted I missed the last audition and the boot camp stage.

"But I'm really looking forward to seeing who Simon, Louis and Nicole have chosen. I can't wait to get my category and get my teeth into it. I will be raring to go."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/3124890/Simon-Cowell-praises-Cheryl-Cole-as-she-divorces-cheat-hubby-Ashley.html

Oh SHUT UP SImon..what the hell do you know about their marraige.,..NOTHING!!!!

Ohh has she learnt a new mental skill? Is it irony? As in: I climbed a FUCKING mountain to raise money for malaria nets then caught malaria on a beech holiday.

she's not all that, and she's got funny knees...

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...huh? what did he say??

Just to add that I've googled her calendar pictures and as she's getting a little older I see a lot of Shania Twain in her.

"I don't know how she coped" says Simon... I think that a few million for being both a singer that cannot sing, and a judge that cannot judge, has certainly helped her Simon! LOL

Dont try to be funny Simon, she had more enough luxury and cash for her overrated talent. Try asking who Cheryl Cole is outside of UK and they go like "who cheryl who?"

And these comments are the best of the british public .She has worked hard to get were she has got and deserves her wages. unlike ashley cole. I like cheryl and at least she has not had elocution lessons she is proud of were she come,s from unlike a lot stars to many to mention and you dont see her out and about binge drinking and making a fool of her self you people are the pits and if you have not got any thing constructive to say then butt out.

I think she's amazing. All you guys do is bring her up, to then put her down. I wouldn't mind looking like her anyday!!
And for someone who said she's unknown out the UK, well sorry but Spain deffintely knows her, she's done very well on our radios.

we all have to cope with what life dishes out at us so she's no different is she ...ffgs drama drama ...bleed it dry and make it front page news why do we .

what a rubbish story men and women have to get on with it everyday,u dont see them splashed over the papers like these 2 over rated "we are better than u "people

Louis walsh said "I wish her all the best but honestly I never thought they would break up. I still thought she might have taken him back. "

i feel Cheryl was forced to divorce. She was caught in two minds but her Mom, friends, Simon, fans and media didn't let her think.. Hope this divorce decision wont impact her much.

As far as being focused, i can see more focused Ashley on the football field than never before. He is free from all this circus. Seriously , he was put thru the hell by media and public alike for something happened in his personal life. One thing i like about Ashley is , he never uttered single word even after getting slagged every day and Cheryl was portrayed as victim. There are always two sides to a story. We only heard from Cheryl PR team but Ashley is a very private person and want to keep everything private.. I appreciate that. Hope Cheryl wont regret her decision. Marriage is for life. X-factor and Miming career wont last forever.

dercon wrote:And these comments are the best of the british public .She has worked hard to get were she has got and deserves her wages. unlike ashley cole. I like cheryl and at least she has not had elocution lessons she is proud of were she come,s from unlike a lot stars to many to mention and you dont see her out and about binge drinking and making a fool of her self you people are the pits and if you have not got any thing constructive to say then butt out.

Ashley is a top athlete and has worked really hard to where he got. you don't get called the worlds best left back if it just handed to you on a plate. Cheryl got in GA because of her looks

Foe goodnessake Simon, get a grip. She's going through a divorce.. mind your own business.

OH PLEEEEZE! Enough of the sugar coated drivel. "I don't know how she coped". Get a real life.

oh stop it cowell your making me cry!

Cheryl yearns the trappings of stardom and her face plastered over the tabloid press day after day, which she gets, Ashley is a top athlete who yearns for a girl at home who can be a wife and a tart at the same time and is not thinking about her next photo shot.
Ashley you're well shut off, get out there and bed a few for me.

In "a better place"? Would you like me to suggest where I think that "better place" should be - not just for the tedious Ms Crowe-Cole but for you too Cowell?

"I don't know how she coped." ..Get in touch with the real world Mr Cowell the whole world copes .you should try it sometime

Yeah, because nobody else goes through hard times. Jeez. It must be hard being filthy rich and beautiful.

Simon must u know anyway ?? This is a woman who release parachute b4 the break-up not even the divorce n now shes with Derek the king dance in parachute xxx cant u calculate time lapse n wat happened in between b4 n after ?

wakey wakey simon try living in the real world and not a make believe one she got a divorce so what,a lot of people go through that every day and still have to get on with life.

you dont know how she cope?. what about ashley?. obviosly she was not there all time time. so what about his needs. love is a two way street. good luck ashley. i hope he finds someone. as for cheyl, well, we shall see.

It's difficult to feel sorry or praise for her when she always seems perfectly happy to conduct her whole life agenda through the media. Perhaps a statement from her at the time of her so called troubles asking for privacy would have been more convincing,

aaah! ... and they say nurses have it hard! god almighty how pathetic is cowell - i'm sure all her money will ease the pain a bit

Ah poor cheryl...how does she cope,wit fancy holidays,lots of money,probebly a 'life' story book due out now....wat a trooper(zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!)get over it,how many normal people go tru this and a hell of a lot more but dont hav all the luxuries this media hogging clown does!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Muck-fe wrote:It's difficult to feel sorry or praise for her when she always seems perfectly happy to conduct her whole life agenda through the media. Perhaps a statement from her at the time of her so called troubles asking for privacy would have been more convincing,

cheryl hasnt said a word tothe media about her troubles and hasnt done any interviews to discuss it or anything - giving a statement to ask for privacy was unnecessary

are they still bleating on and on and on about that talenless bint ? give it a rest perleeeeeeeeeeeeease

A new, focused Cheryl when she returns? Does that mean comments more interesting than 'you nailed it', 'you owned the stage', 'you made it your own', 'I got goosebumps', ? zzzzzzzzzzzz

Whoa some harsh comments on here.

I hate X factor for a start. BUT...people saying Cheryl Cole or Tweedy or whatever seems happy enough to live her life through media...I can only imagine when you have lived the life she has, it's a little TRICKY to escape the media, especially when they love a bit of divorce in the entertainment biz. It doesn't matter if people in "Normal" life go through it. I'm damn sure none of them have a good time either. I don't think ANYBODY can comment on getting away from the media, and how futile it probably is to say "I'd like some privacy", unless you're as famous as she is. Which I'm pretty sure no one on here is

And people feeling sorry for Ashley Cole? Please. He's the idiot who started everything off, incase you've forgotten.

Ah Cheryl - Z z z z z z z z z z..............................................

must be so hard to get the house and dogs.load of cash included.something that happens everyday.she must have being devasted over the divorce.somehow i don,t think so

No offence to Cheryl, but she will have coped like thousands of women (and men) who daily have their lives wrecked by their partners infidelity. Its harsh its cruel and unnecessary and far too common these days. All the money in the world wont have stopped the heartache but at least she could escape reality for a while.

simon loves the talentless!!

She is now "in a better place" after overcoming malaria and finalising her divorce, says Simon.
Every time Cowell or Tweedy open their mouths I feel the need to reach for the sick-bag!

Ashley shud consider the divorce as blessing in disguise and stop feeling sorry for Attention seeking and talentless cheryl.

But of cos Simon knows she can't sing basing on the pop Louis n him took at her a month ago.., xxx but probably i fore see strings attached thats why they cling on each other ..., how can u give a married woman a calendar of ya ugly face xx to look at u from jan to Dec as a birthdat present .., xx Ashley was right x

god simon cowell makes me puke,what a ****.it's easy to cope with a divorce when you get a couple of houses cars dogs etc and what makes it even easier is knowing you haven't got to sleep with cashley cole anymore..

Shes a battler all right and a bit of bruiser too looking at her criminal record

Think I'm gonnae puke!!!! I hope she's thanked ashley - being cheated on has done wonders for her career!!!

Nice Bunch on here this morning . well i like Cheryl , she is Down to earth , i wish her well .

Simon, none of us care.

I dont care what others think, I think she is very pretty. She would do well if she gets on American X- Factor and will get the necessary exposure in the States to make something of herself. Good luck to her.

The best thing she did was getting rid of that rat Ashley, what a loser he was. You can always bend down and pick up nothing and Cheryl.......he is a nothing. I think she is great, I love her on X Factor, I am glad she is now feeling a lot better than she was and wish her well for the future.

what a shame he isn't so loyal to danni if he got himself out of cheryls butt he may see that danni is as good if not better

Proves half the people on here have no life if all they can do is read articles about people they so clearly hate ! Cheryl isn't talentless she can sing and can perform . I hate it when people comment when they don't like her , they're the reason this country gets so much bad press because they clearly hate something and then go on to read about it ... Get a life sad-acts !

You people need to read properly notice i put a full stop by wages,and i said unlike ashley cole meaning i don,t like the arrogant so so, i like cheryl. I am not interested in is physical prowes or anything else to do with him so get it right.

How did she cope? Is this plank of a man for real? I'm sure that having a few million in the bank and able to 'escape' to any place in the world (with no pressure of work commitments, etc, or family to care for) and have pervie old sickly blokes like Simon to lust after her, may just help her 'cope'!
Let her try living in the real world like the rest of us and then see how she would cope. Pathetic numpties!

would do well on the American X-Factor don't think so, can't understand what she is saying most of the time and i'm from the UK, in the US, she stands no chance ,they would need sub-titles, And if she did go and try to sing on the show ,that would be it . Sorry she is talentless,Looks will not last forever, nice to see Ashley coping well had a good game ,

Can anyone remember the last time 'The Nation's Sweetheart' ever spoke?

Cowell has her so tightly wrapped up he won't even allow her to speak in public anymore!