“Chezza,” as she’s known in the media, won another competition of sorts, at the age of 16, when she beat out thousands of other young women to earn a place at the Royal Ballet Summer School in London. Despite her success as a dancer, Cheryl’s true love was singing and she longed for the opportunity to show off her dazzling vocal prowess.
CHERYL TWEEDY ON POPSTARS
Luckily, she was given a chance to do just that in 2002, when ITV1 held an open audition for its new reality show, Popstars: The Rivals. “I was working as a waitress at the time,” Cheryl recalls. “I saw Popstars would be about two new bands, so I just thought I’d give an audition a go.”
CHERYL TWEEDY JOINS GIRLS ALOUD
And it’s a good thing she did. Cheryl’s multitalented skill set blew away the show’s producers. “When I got through all the heats I started to think I could go all the way,” she recalls. And indeed she did. Chezza was the first contestant chosen for the newly formed group Girls Aloud. Joining her in the band were Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts, and Sarah Harding.
The girls easily defeated their male counterparts on Popstars thanks to the huge success of their debut single, “Sound of the Underground.” In fact, the song proved to be so popular that it stayed at the No. 1 spot on the charts for an incredible four weeks.
Encouraged by the song’s success, Girls Aloud headed into the studio once again to record their debut album, Sound of the Underground. Released on May 26, 2003, the disc sold over 320,000 copies worldwide thanks to the hit songs “Girls Allowed” and “Life Got Cold.”
CHERYL TWEEDY’S ASSAULT CHARGES
Unfortunately, Cheryl made news for all the wrong reasons later that year when she was convicted of assaulting a toilet attendant at a nightclub in Guilford. Although she was cleared of all charges of racially aggravated assault, Cheryl was found guilty of occasioning actual bodily harm and was sentenced to 120 hours of community service. According to Cheryl, the incident brought her “down to earth.” She says: “It made me realize just how lucky I was to lead the life I do."
GIRLS ALOUD RELEASES CHEMISTRY
Cheryl put the episode behind her, and she and Girls Aloud switched their focus to recording What Will the Neighbours Say? Released on November 24, 2004, the ambitious sophomore effort debuted at No. 6 on the UK album charts and later achieved platinum certification. Just as importantly, the disc received a mountain of critical praise from publications like The Guardian, which hailed it as being "funny, clever, immediate," and "richly inventive."
Following a successful live tour, the girls headed back into the studio to record their third album. Released on December 5, 2005, Chemistry was a critically praised album, with respected media outlets like The Guardian, NME and Top of the Pops, which included it on its best of year-end album charts. The disc was also equally popular with the group’s loyal fans who made Chemistry Girls Aloud’s third consecutive platinum-selling record.
Girls Aloud hit the charts again in September 2006, with the release of their first greatest hits compilation, The Sound of Girls Aloud. The album debuted at No. 1 on the UK charts, and went on to sell an impressive 84,000 copies in its first week. After the album's success, the girls went out on tour, hitting 15 spots across the UK to sing to adoring fans.
And the music doesn't stop there. Cheryl Tweedy and Girls Aloud followed up in August 2007, with their fourth studio album, Tangled Up that saw the hits "Sexy! No, No, No..." and "Call the Shots," which became their 17th hit and reached No. 3 on the UK charts.
CHERYL TWEEDY MARRIES ASHLEY COLE
Cheryl also made headlines of a personal sort in 2006 when she married English footballer Ashley Cole in a lavish ceremony on July 15. The wedding was financed by OK! magazine, which paid the star couple £1,000,000 to publish pictures of the event. “It went very well,” Cheryl says. “I thought something would go wrong on the day, but all went smoothly and it was a great time. Everyone seemed to have fun after too.”
CHERYL TWEEDY FACES MARRIAGE TURMOIL
In 2008, The Sun newspaper reported that Cheryl Tweedy's husband Ashley had been sleeping with several women during their marriage, including 22-year-old hairdresser Aimee Walton, who sold her story to the paper. In the months to follow, Cheryl was spotted several times out in public without her wedding ring.
CHERYL TWEEDY JOINS THE X FACTOR
In June 2008, Cheryl Cole replaced Sharon Osborne as a judge on the reality TV show The X Factor. Her arrival on one the UK's biggest TV shows wasn't met with universal joy, however, as reports of confrontation between Cheryl Tweedy (Cole) and fellow judge Dannii Minogue began to surface.
GIRLS ALOUD SET TO RELEASE OUT OF CONTROL
2009 is shaping up to be quite a big year for Cheryl Tweedy and the lovely ladies of Girls Aloud. After confirming rumors that they're set to release a brand new album entitled Out of Control, which contains the hit singles "The Loving Kind" and "The Promise."
Along with a new album set to hit the shelves, Girls Aloud and Cheryl Tweedy also performed at the 2009 Brit Awards and brought home the award for Best British Single for "The Promise."
