Cheryl 'bittersweet' over 'biggest challenge she's faced'

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Cheryl is rumoured to be joining The Voice as a mentor - and while it could be a successful comeback after years away from the small-screen, it comes after a difficult time for the star
She's been absent from any television projects for more than five years, but Cheryl Tweedy's huge TV comeback will be 'bittersweet' for the star after the death of her ex, Liam Payne.
The Geordie singer, whose last major TV gig was in 2019, is being tipped to join her longtime pal will.i.am as a mentor on the next series of The Voice UK. And a source told OK! exclusively that, despite everything she's achieved in her career, a spot on the ITV show is going to be 'the biggest role of her life'.
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'This is really important for Cheryl, ' said the source. 'She realised after Liam's death that you just don't know what's around the corner – life isn't a dress rehearsal. A comeback on a TV show like The Voice has always been at the back of her mind, will.i.am has always wanted her back and Liam's passing sort of made the decision for her. She wants Bear to see that she's a strong, successful woman, and to see that life can go on and even be good.'
It was reported last week that the Girls Aloud singer, 42, who is mum to Bear, eight, was in talks to appear on the next series of The Voice UK, due to air early next year, alongside a judging line-up which includes will.i.am, Tom Jones, Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher as a pair, and new recruit Kelly Rowland.
A source told The Sun newspaper that Cheryl was taking 'baby steps' in her TV career and was the 'obvious choice' to mentor will.i.am's team when the revived Battle Rounds kick off. 'Cheryl and will.i.am first worked together 16 years ago and have remained good friends ever since,' the source said.
Former One Direction singer Liam fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October, aged 31. He and Cheryl had been in a relationship for two years until 2018 and Cheryl was given the joint responsibility of managing Liam's £24 million fortune after his death, along with an industry lawyer.
Now that some months have passed since Liam's death, our source claimed Cheryl is ready to prove to the world – and herself – that she's still a force to be reckoned with.
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'She's not doing it for the money or for fame, she's had the most incredible career already. It's about proving she's strong and capable after so much heartache, and letting Bear see that too,' they said. 'It's probably going to be the biggest challenge she's faced but she's determined to do it – and to do it well.'
Cheryl's last big TV gig was as a dance captain on the BBC 's The Greatest Dancer, before starring in the West End play 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2023.
PR expert Lynn Carratt believes Cheryl's experience stands her in good stead for a triumphant return, but she needs to be mentally prepared to be back in the spotlight again.
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'Let's not forget, Cheryl's whole career has been built around music talent shows,' she told new. 'She won Popstars: The Rivals with Girls Aloud and worked on The X Factor so she's been in the same position as the contestants – they'll really relate to her experience and authenticity in that area.
"But she's had so much going on, overcoming the death of Liam, looking after Bear and her stalker hell. This could be a good way of easing herself back into the public eye, after months in the wilderness.'
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It might also be 'bittersweet' for Cheryl, Lynn says, because one of Liam's last TV projects was on Netflix 's Building The Band, which the streaming service is releasing this week. 'It's probably quite nerve-wracking for her too,' Lynn added. 'And good that she could be a mentor and not a full-time judge.'
Liam's death also came just three years after Cheryl lost her Girls Aloud bandmate Sarah Harding, who died two months shy of her 40th birthday from breast cancer. Apart from the Girls Aloud reunion tour with Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl has been very much under the radar since then.
Lynn said Cheryl, out of all the bandmates, has always been the most cautious in the spotlight and never particularly revelled in the overnight fame that came off the back of the girls winning Popstars: The Rivals 23 years ago.
'She'll turn up and do the Girls Aloud tour and she'll be on TV, but then she'll go away and you might not see her for a long time,' she said. 'She's very focused now on being a mum to Bear. He's still young but he's growing up and since Liam's death, she's probably wanted to be there for him a lot more. She's a single parent now – there's no escaping that – so she has to pick her jobs carefully.'