An open letter to Cheryl Cole

Dear Cheryl Cole,

I know you probably read my open letter to Iris Robinson a few weeks ago and felt a little jealous. I know that as you read your Derry Journal over your baps from Doherty’s a mug of tea, you must have thought to yourself: “That one talks sense. I wish she would impart her words of wisdom to me because, quite honestly, I’m in an awful pickle regarding this marriage of mine.”

And you know what love, you are. Much as you have the gumption to tell people to fight for their love and not give up as soon as things get tough, there has to be a time when you hang up your diamond rings, hand back the keys to the fancy car and run as fast as your skinny wee legs can carry you.

Ashley Cole may be your husband, but he is - without a doubt - a rat. He has cheated on you in the past - this much is acknowledged and you know what, you forgave him and you got back together and I kind of hoped it would work out for you. People make mistakes. Certainly I’m of the belief that most people deserve second chances even if I personally would have found it nigh on impossible to forgive my other half having a full on sexual affair with a trampy hairdresser (or anyone for that matter. I’m not tramp-ist or hairdresser-ist).

Still your wedding vows must have meant a lot to you which is something I admire, understand and fully support. More power to your elbow as we would say around here. (Has Nadine ever used that expression? Tell her we said hello by the way).

But over the last few months I’ve had rather mixed feelings about you Cheryl. I quite enjoyed that ‘Fight For This Love’ song even if it does have the ability to get stuck in your brain and never leave. I was also quite a fan of the X-Factor (although Joe McElderry shouldn’t have won in my opinion).

I have liked watching your star in ascension. The thing is, Cheryl, you have come an awful long way from being the wee lassie who auditioned alongside our Nadine for Popstars: The Rivals. You have transformed yourself into quite the looker and indeed quite the successful business person.

Forgive me for saying this, but there is a part of me (Either the part that struggles to find clothes which fit properly or the part of me with a secret crush on Simon Cowell) which kind of hates you.

I know that is a very strong word and I don’t really mean it. Maybe envy would be a better way to describe how I feel.

Except, of course, when it comes to you and Ashley. Cheryl, pet, there has to be a time when you realise that some things are not worth having and certainly not worth fighting for. This is that time.

Your man, allegedly, sent some dodgy pictures of himself in his pants to a mystery blonde woman. Allegedly, he has slept with her. Now, this is where you have to show some inner strength.

I know you may love him, and he may love you but he does not respect you. Not one ounce. In fact he treats you with utter disdain and has humiliated you in the public eye time and time again for no good reason.

Let’s face it Cheryl, Ashley has it all. A great career, wadges of money, a beautiful wife and yet it’s not enough for him. This is not down to any failing on your part - this down to him being a greedy and selfish article. End of.

But you risk losing the respect of the nation if you keep letting him treat you like that. Sure you might not be able to control what he gets up to in fancy hotels with blonde women, but what you can control is how you deal with it.

You are supposed to be a role model to hoardes of young girls who look to you as a successful young woman but what message are you giving them if you let him tramp all over you and time and time again? You are telling them he is somehow more important than you and that you don’t deserve to be treated better. Shocking, isn’t it?

Now I know all this might sound a bit harsh but he is only a man Cheryl. He is famous for nothing more than kicking a ball around a field and being a cad (being as this is a family paper I can not say what I really think of him). You, love, can do much better.

So forget about fighting for this love - fight for yourself and your own self respect. Go on, we are standing behind you every step of the way.

Much love,

Claire