Cheryl Cole was born Cheryl Tweedy June 30, 1983 and raised in the northern England city of Newcastle upon Tyne. She was interested in dancing as a young child and also explored modelling. She won a number of competitions and also appeared in two British Gas advertisements.
Cheryl Tweedy was working as a waitress when she auditioned for the talent competition show Popstars: The Rivals at age 19. The show ended with a public vote in November 2002 and five of the girls in the competition formed the group Girls Aloud. Cheryl Tweedy received the most votes of any of the girls and thus was the first announced to be part of the new group. Girls Aloud is the most successful of artists to come out of a Britsh TV talent competition. They have reached the UK pop top 10 with 20 different singles.
In January 2003 Cheryl Tweedy caused a tabloid sensation when she was involved in an altercation with nightclub attendant Sophie Amogbokpa. The incident went to trial and she was convicted of assault occasioning bodily harm. Cheryl Tweedy was sentenced to 120 hours community service plus a compensation to her victim and court fees.
In 2004 Cheryl Tweedy began dating English football star Ashley Cole. They were engaged in June 2005 in Dubai and married in July 2006. Later tabloid stories indicated infidelity issues in the relationship, but they have reportedly since reconciled.
