UK singer, Cheryl Cole is petrified of appearing on stage.

The Girls Aloud star believes her fellow bandmates, Nicola Roberts, Sarah Harding, Nadine Coyle and Kimberley Walsh are more talented than her and fears she will be shown up on their new tour.

Before their MEN Arena show on Friday (24.04.09) the band had to give her an emergency prep talk before they went on stage as her nerves got the better of her.

Cheryl has had a lot on her mind to deal with over the past few weeks, with friends saying she has been down since her return from climbing Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief last month.

A source close to the band told The Sunday Mirror newspaper, “In rehearsals, Cheryl was downbeat and quiet. Everyone was really worried.

“She has got a lot going on in her personal life, and I think she is finding it tough being the nation’s sweetheart and dealing with all the attention that comes with that.”

The X-Factor judge, who was last week voted as the worlds sexiest woman by FHM magazine, is currently battling to save her relationship with football star Ashley Cole, who was arrested for being drunk and disorderly while she was in Africa.

She performed on stage without her wedding ring, then rushed straight to her hotel after the show.

There are plans for the 25-year-old singer to release a solo album this year, but no date has been confirmed. It hasn’t been confirmed about who she would be working with, but reports have suggested that numerous producers have been approached.

A spokesperson for the band, said, “”Cheryl is going to work on some solo music-there is no release date set for this yet as she has not recorded any music.”

Ashley and Cheryl Cole

Rumors are circulating that the Chelsea defender, 28, has been secretly plotting a romantic getaway to Dubai this summer so he and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl, 25, can renew their vows.

The millionaire footballer is supposedly taking the X Factor judge to the spot in the desert where he proposed in 2005 and it is said he is shopping for an expensive ring to present to his stunning wife, Cheryl in the lavish Al Mahra resort.

 It is said that Cole hopes his declaration of commitment will bring a close to the drama surrounding the one-night stand he had with hairdresser Aimee Walton, 23, which nearly destroyed his marriage last year.

Top Five worst celebrity barnets

Celebrities are renowned for their hair styles and generally us celebrity wannabes try to copy their lovely, luscious locks…well we used to anyway.

Celebrity hair dos have just gone mental! Sleek, sexy hair has become a thing of the past, as celebrities try to be more daring and adventurous with their hair styles, outdoing each other on every occasion.

Gone are the days when we would walk into the hairdressers and simply ask for ‘The Rachel’ the effortlessly sleek style modelled by Jennifer Aniston during her reign in TV hit series, Friends.

Now, if we asked for ‘The Britney’ our stylists would think we had gone mental and ask us to leave the salon and take a trip to a councillor instead.

And these celebrities aren’t much better. Take a look at these ghastly heads and just be glad you only booked in for a ‘trim’ with your stylist.

1.     Amy Winehouse

We all know that the Back to Black singer is famous for her beehive hairdo, but this is just taking it a step too far!

Its mass probably weighs more than her actual body weight put together. And then its jet black colour against her pale complexion…not good!

2.     Britney Spears

The singer has had an album of hair dos since shaving it all off last year. The US singer has had the dodgiest of extensions and wigs, from blonde tacky strands, to dull and lifeless brunette hair. Although the star is getting back on track and realising a good barnet is actually pretty useful, it’s ever so easy to remember that fateful night she thought the middle-aged balding man look was pretty sexy!

3.     Sarah Harding

Now I think Sarah may have got slightly confused when her band members asked whether she was to do a star trek to Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief. Instead, the Girls Aloud singer decided to go for the Mr Spock look, hoping to steal the lime light from the other band members. Don’t worry Sarah, you’ve certainly done that!

4.     Edith Bowman

Scary! Why Edith decided to go for the Camilla Parker Bowles look is beyond understanding. The rock chick Radio One presenter’s granny look doesn’t do her many favours and most likely sent her singer boyfriend, from The Editors running for the hills. Go and do some knitting Edith!

5.     Lilly Allen

The lovable Lilly Allen became not so lovable when she died her hair pink. What was she thinking? Not only did it wash her out, it looks plastic, flat and did not make her look like a rock star. Stick to brunette Lilly, it’s just safer!

The speculation about Dannii Minogue’s X Factor future appears to be over, as since the end of the last series it has been speculated that she may be getting kicked off the show, but fellow judge on the show Simon Cowell has said she will remain on the show and, in addition, her reported £500,000-a-series pay packet will be doubled. This will bring her wage in line with fellow judge Cheryl Cole’s seven-figure contract.

From the first time Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole became a hit on the ITV show, rumours started circulating about a possible replacement for Kylie’s little sister. The likes of Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Posh Spice and Lily Allen were thrown into the mix.

However, The Mirror quotes Simon Cowell as saying: “As far as the judging panel is concerned, let’s just say that if I was a betting man my money would be on Dannii returning to the show. She was great last year and I am adamant she should be there for the next series. Despite all the fuss concerning Dannii and Cheryl, I think the four judges worked really well together and gelled. There was an excellent chemistry. There’s been a lot of rubbish written about just who will be on the show, with people like Victoria Beckham supposedly in the frame. That was absolute nonsense – I never approached her.”

So this is the final news confirmed and it is good news for Dannii who is said to be excited and eager to sign on the dotted line, lets just hope she has better relations with the panel in the forthcoming series, as last year she publicly fell out with fellow judge Louis Walsh, who famously made her cry live on air, and Sharon Osbourne spoke about Dannii in a recent television interview saying she was the reason she left X Factor and she couldn’t stand her: “She had no personality and acted like a silly innocent girl, it got on my nerves and i couldn’t see myself working with her for the next six months” were Sharon’s opinions on Dannii during the interview. 

Cheryl Cole has been told to put on weight for her charity climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, Cheryl’s weight has been a much spoken about in magazines and in the news for the past year or so, looking very fragile at the end of last year. 

The fragile Girls Aloud singer has been told to “bulk up” before she climbs the mountain in Tanzania in aid of Comic Relief, and Cheryl has taken this advice into account and has been upping her intake of carbs to prepare for the climb.

A source close to the star said: “She’s not too skinny to do the trek any more – she’s put on weight and has been putting her heart and soul into the training. She’s been working hard with Ashley’s instructor practically every day.”

Cheryl, who plans to climb the 5,981m mountain at the end of this month, is said to be taking the trip very seriously.

The source continued: “She’s been eating more and making a big effort to eat. They will be burning lots of calories over the course of the trek and it’s estimated they will all lose half a stone to 10lbs, so she will more than likely lose the weight she’s put on anyway!

“They’ve all been told to bring their favourite sugary snack, and apparently Cheryl has chosen chocolate buttons. They’ve all been told to increase their carb intake the week before, so Cheryl will be eating loads of potatoes and bread, which she’s not used to.”

Cheryl is not the only star that is taking part in the climb, and stars that will be joining her are her bandmate Kimberley Walsh, Denise Van Outen, Alesha Dixon, Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Ronan Keating, Chris Moyles and Ben Shephard.

Sharon Osbourne  spoke out in a recent interview about being a judge on the TV show X Factor and said she quit as a judge on the programme because of Dannii Minogue. The 56-year-old left the ITV1 show in June after four series saying it was “time to move on”, and reports suggested clashes with fellow panellist Dannii were also behind her decision.

Sharon has recently spoken out and said: “I left because of Dannii Minogue. Simple as that. I didn’t enjoy working with her at all and didn’t fancy the prospect of spending six months sitting next to her.”

Sharon, who was replaced on the TV talent show by Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole, rejected the suggestion that her fall-out with Dannii came about because she was jealous of the younger woman’s looks.

“I’ve not built my career on my looks or my youth,” was Sharon’s response to these claims. 

Sharon Osbourne first found fame with rocker hubby Ozzy and their children Kelly and Jack on reality show The Osbournes and as been in the eye of the media ever since for her abrupt, self-opinionated comments – she certainly doesn’t hold back on her words!

In an recent interview, famous music mogul and x factor judge Simon Cowell revealed a secret fantasy… When Simon was asked for the name of the person he would kiss if it could be anyone in the world, he picked his fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Cole.

At first Simon laughed at the question and responded by saying: “That’s quite a scary question, I’m going to get into so much trouble after this, I want a disclaimer here first of all that I’m going to say this person as if they weren’t married. It’s fantasy. So I’m going to say Cheryl Cole. Who wouldn’t? This is just pretend, right?”

Simon Cowell recently split from long-time girlfriend Terri Seymour and has said he has no plans to ever take that walk down the aisle, he is quite happy single and intends for it to stay that way for a long time now. “I am quite happy single. I am friends with all my exes and I enjoy their company.”

But straight from the horses mouth, Simon said he would definitely like to give Cheryl a smooch… that will explain all those up close and personal cuddles throughout last years X factor then!

Ms Bell, mother of X Factor winner of 2008 Alexandra Burke, who sang in the 80s band Soul II Soul, said she was outraged by Islington Council’s claims that she was a benefits cheat.

Islington Council has launched an investigation into benefits recipient Ms Bell after accusations that she has been getting paid for singing at a series of events.

Ms Bell who is a mother of four who has severe diabetes and claims thousands of pounds a year in disability and income support, has said she cannot believe these claims and is very upset by them, as she would never dream of taking money which she was not entitled to. Ms Bell rang the council to further investigate the rumoured claims and it was confirmed to her she is under investigation because of suspicion of benefit fraud, she is apparently ‘absolutely outraged.’

Alexandra, her daughter, who is 20, landed a £1 million record deal after winning the X Factor talent show last month. Ms Bell said that she had never had any professional gigs while she has been on benefits and that any money she did receive had been paid to charity.

She confirmed that she stepped in for her daughter to sing at a restaurant in Surrey on Christmas Day – but received a Christmas dinner.

Alexandra Burke hated the song Hallelujah when she first heard it and feared it could lose her the competition. When Alexandra first tried to sing ‘Hallelujah’ she stormed out of the studio in frustration when trying sing it to her mentor, show judge Cheryl Cole.

Alexandra said: “When Hallelujah got picked I was gutted. I thought I had lost there and then. I wanted to leave the show. I didn’t know the song before and it just didn’t do anything for me. It left me cold. I could not see a way to put my twist on it.”

Despite her initial reservations, Alexandra – crowned X Factor champion of 2008 –  has seen her soulful version of the Leonard Cohen song become the fastest-selling download ever. Alex added: “Now I realise what a smart choice of song Simon Cowell made by picking Hallelujah.

Alexandra has a simple and sweet view of what it means – the quest for true love. She said, “When I sing it I’m thinking about a girl who is in love with a boy and is trying to get them to notice her.”

Alex insists she is single and denies amy romance with Marvin Humes, 23, from X Factor runners-up JLS. She also laughs off reports that Gavin And Stacey star James Corden has bought her a £4,000 watch. She joked: “Show me the watch! Do you see it? There is no watch.”

Alexandra Burke’s debut album will be put off until the autumn. There were rumours that the X Factor winner’s first record would be pushed for an early release by Simon Cowell’s ‘Syco’ label and could be on shelves as early as March in time for Mother’s Day.

Bosses have now said they will follow the path marked out by superstar Leona Lewis and delay the release until around November in order to give Alexandra the best possible chance of achieving credibility to match her potential chart success. 

Simon’s company Syco want to wait to find the right songs and let her polish her skills, like they did with Leona. She can then launch it on a live X Factor show to start the promotion of the new album, Alex’s talent and appeal is closer to Leona’s levels, so they can afford to wait to get it right.

The source added that despite X Factor 2007 winner Leon Jackson’s album flop after a wait of 10 months, music executives aren’t worried that the same will happen to Alexandra.