GEORDIE singer Cheryl Fernandez-Versini's marriage to second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini has been drawn to a close by a family court judge.

The pair were granted a decree nisi by Judge Heather MacGregor at a hearing in the Central Family Court in London on Thursday.

Fernandez-Versini, 33, a former member of the band Girls Aloud and a former judge on the X Factor television show, married Mr Fernandez-Versini, a 35-year-old French restaurateur, two years ago.

Her previous marriage to footballer Ashley Cole - a former Arsenal, Chelsea and England left back who is now at Los Angeles Galaxy - ended in divorce after four years in 2010.

Neither the singer nor Mr Fernandez-Versini was in court on Thursday.

The hearing lasted 14 seconds.

A spokesman for the singer said: "Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini have today obtained a decree nisi in their divorce proceedings. No further comment will be made and they ask for their privacy to be respected."

CHERYL FACTFILE:

  • Cheryl Fernandez-Versini - born Cheryl Tweedy in Newcastle in 1983 - first rose to fame in 2002 by taking part in reality TV programme Popstars: The Rivals.
  • She, along with Nicola Roberts, Sarah Harding, Kimberley Walsh and Nadine Coyle, won a place in girl group Girls Aloud and went on to score the Christmas number one of that year with their debut single Sound Of The Underground.
  • According to the Official Charts Company, the group had a total of four UK number one singles and 21 UK top 10s.
  • In 2009 Girls Aloud announced they were taking a short break but reunited in 2012 for their 10th anniversary.
  • In March 2013, after their final concert in Liverpool, they announced on Twitter that they were splitting up indefinitely.
  • Cheryl launched a successful solo career and has released four solo albums - 3 Words, Messy Little Raindrops, A Million Lights and Only Human, her latest effort which came out in 2014.
  • According to her Official Charts Company page, she remains the first female British solo artist to have had five number one singles.
  • The 33-year-old joined The X Factor as a judge in 2008 and during that time she mentored two winners - Alexandra Burke and Joe McElderry.
  • She left the show in 2010 before re-joining in 2014, following a short stint as a judge on the US version of The X Factor in 2011.
  • She was sensationally fired by Simon Cowell before the show even aired.
  • She later said in an interview with the Evening Standard magazine that Cowell had done the "right thing to remove her". "I was suffering from a lot of things - heartache, confusion - I was in a dark place," she said.
  • Following her X Factor return in 2014, she went on to mentor that year's runners-up, Reggie N Bollie.
  • The singer is very involved in charitable work and has set up her own organisation alongside The Prince's Trust - Cheryl's Trust. The aim of the charity is to raise £2m to build a centre to support young people in her home city of Newcastle.
  • In 2003, she was charged with assault after becoming involved in an incident with toilet attendant Sophie Amogbokpa at a club in Guildford, Surrey. She was later cleared of the racially aggravated assault charge against her but was found guilty of assault and was ordered to pay a £3,000 fine and complete 120 hours of community service.