When it was rumoured Cheryl would be heading over to the Scottish Highlands to take part in The Celebrity Traitors, I was thrilled.
The woman once dubbed the nation’s sweetheart, the most photographed celebrity in the country, always present at the pinnacle of 2000s Saturday night TV, has all but vanished.
Alas, the former Girls Aloud star wasn’t confirmed as part of this year’s star-studded line-up.
But Cheryl is reportedly taking the next steps towards a big comeback by way of a new tell-all documentary. And it’s been a long time coming.
The former X Factor judge has been keeping an understandably low profile in recent years since the death of her former boyfriend Liam Payne, with whom she shares her son Bear.
Releasing a statement shortly after the tragedy, Cheryl called the former One Direction star’s death ‘earth shattering’.
In addition, her former bandmate Sarah Harding died in 2021 following her breast cancer diagnosis, leaving Cheryl heartbroken.
Cheryl was also left ‘nervous and on edge’ at the hands of a stalker, who was jailed in January after turning up at the singer’s home multiple times.
She’s undoubtedly been through so much. It’s time she shared her story on her own terms.
The singer’s absence, while completely justified, is a huge contrast to her younger years, where there was rarely a magazine without her on the cover, or a TV show without her at the helm.
Everything she touched turned to gold, whether it was a pair of fluttery Eylure false lashes, or some L’Oreal Elnett hairspray which promised to give us her iconic bouncy blow-dry.
Cheryl was the face of showbiz in the UK; her turbulent marriage to Ashley Cole, an even more tumultuous one with French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, and the most enviable 2000s wardrobe every girl was after.
And while she’s taken some much-needed time away from the spotlight, having Cheryl back on her own terms would be a big win for fans.
The singer, 43, is rumoured to be in talks for a revealing documentary about her life, focusing on the highs and lows of everything from her start on Popstars: The Rivals, to her love life.
A source told The Sun: ‘Cheryl is incredibly picky about what she chooses to do these days and spends a lot of time on motherhood, but she feels like she has a story to tell.’
The project is likely to prompt a bidding war between the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple.
A few months ago, while I was interviewing her close friend and former bandmate Nadine Coyle, she shared anecdotes from the days of Girls Aloud, Cheryl’s cheeky Geordie side, her popularity with the public, and her kindness. She agreed Cheryl would be spectacular on The Traitors.
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It reminded me just how present she used to be within the entertainment industry and, bar the odd beauty campaign and trip to Disney, how off-grid she really is these days.
While critics are claiming her ‘ship has sailed’ and the announcement of a documentary is just another in the long line of celebrity tell-alls (Victoria Beckham, Jesy Nelson, Katie Price), it’s undeniable that Cheryl brought a certain glamour to showbiz which is yet to be replaced.
That goes without saying that a tell-all documentary would have to be just that. Warts and all.
She would need to address both the highs and the lows, including her 2003 assault charge.
The time for new music from Cheryl has come and gone, but having her back on her own terms? Whenever you’re ready.