Cole blames mum-in-law for breakup

Reuters

BETTER DAYS: Ashley and Cheryl Cole before their marital split.

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Cheryl Cole's husband is reportedly claiming their marriage was put under pressure by her mother, who lived with them.

The Girls Aloud singer has been left devastated after a string of women claimed to have slept with her soccer star spouse. Cheryl flew to America to work on solo material shortly after the allegations were made public, and spent time contemplating the future of her marriage. She returned to the UK yesterday, and issued a brief statement saying she was separating from Ashley.

In 2007, it was revealed Cheryl had asked her mother Joan Callaghan to come and live with her and Ashley to help "take care" of him and the couple's dogs. Joan lives in a special cottage in the grounds of the pair's mansion. The star's mother continued to live with them following the 2008 allegations that Ashley had slept with a hairdresser on a drunken night out.

"Cheryl told Ashley she wanted out of the marriage last week, he's in a terrible state," a source told MailOnline.com. "He loves Cheryl with all his heart and never wanted it to come to this. But now that Cheryl has pulled the plug, his love has turned to anger and he told her, 'You'll have to fight for any of my money.'

"He blames everything on Joan living with them, but Cheryl insisted on it after he cheated on her. But he keeps saying, 'How could our marriage stand a chance?' "

Last year, Cheryl admitted it had been hard to get over the claims made about her husband - she didn't wear her wedding ring for eight months after they came to light. She famously claimed the only people she trusted are "my mother and my dogs".

Cheryl met Ashley in 2004 and the pair went on to marry in a lavish ceremony two years later. They did not have a pre-nuptial agreement meaning Cheryl could receive half the pair's money even though she earns less than her soccer player spouse, who is worth around £14 million, if they divorce.