Uh oh, Cheryl’s performance on The X Factor last night is now facing an investigation from Ofcom.
That’s right, the artist formerly known as Tweedy (and then Cole) has faced accusations of raunchy behaviour as she made a return to the ITV show she once hosted.
She first joined The X Factor for series five in 2008 and remained on the show for another two series. These days, however, it’s all about controversial appearances.
Performing her new single Love Made Me Do It, Cheryl – cover your kids eyes – licked her hand at one point, prompting some viewers to go, ‘Oh my GOD! What the HELL is this?’
Well, I don’t know whether or not people said that. It’s a hunch. What I do know is they went to Ofcom and complained about the pre-watershed slice of telly.
The Sun reports 15 complaints were made against the 35-year-old.
A spokesman for the watchdog said:
We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting rules before deciding whether or not to investigate.
It’s certainly been a topsy turvy relationship between Cheryl and The X Factor. In 2010 Simon Cowell made her a judge on the US version of the show but she left after only three weeks.
He said her departure was to allow her to return to work on the next UK season of the show but word on the street was she got sacked because US audiences couldn’t understand her strong Geordie accent.
This led to a pretty big falling out with Simon Cowell after which Cheryl ended up receiving a handsome financial settlement. She made up with Simon Cowell in 2014 and returned to film the 11th series of The X Factor before quitting again in mid 2016.
She appeared on The X Factor again in 2017 helping Simon at his French villa in the Judges’ Houses round of the show. Bit more relaxed than Sunday night’s (November 18) ‘risqué’ performance.
Regardless, she ain’t to be sneezed at. Cheryl has had five UK number one singles, including her first single Fight for This Love and her later songs Promise This, Call My Name, Crazy Stupid Love and I Don’t Care. Her first two album 3 Words (2009) and Messy Little Raindrops (2010) also reached number one in the UK album charts.
She first found fame after bagging a place in pop band Girls Aloud when it was formed on the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals. The band split in 2013 on the last night of their Ten: The Hits Tour, citing exhaustion after 10 years hard work.
It was first rumoured that Cheryl was pregnant with Liam Payne’s child in November 2016 and she confirmed this on November 30, by which time she had a very visible baby bump. Their baby, Bear Grey Payne, was born on March 22, 2017.
She was married twice before her most recent relationship with Liam Payne, tying the knot with footballer Ashley Cole in 2006, whom she met when they lived in the same block of flats before divorcing in 2010. She then married Frenchman Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2014 who she later divorced in 2016.
In addition to the awards Cheryl’s won as part of Girls Aloud, she has won awards for her solo work and for her style. In 2009 and 2010 she was named FHM’s sexiest woman. She has also won awards for Best Dressed Woman from Glamour and Elle magazines and a BT Digital Music Award for Best Female Artist in 2010.
Keep doing you, pet.
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