FORMER Girls Aloud singer Cheryl has broken her social media silence but not with the announcement fans were hoping for.

The former X Factor judge said she has found a site in Newcastle to open a Prince's Trust centre for vulnerable young people.

The Geordie star, who has refused to comment on reports that she and boyfriend Liam Payne are expecting a child, has not posted on Twitter since last year.

Fans had hoped she would mark her return to social networks with the announcement of the arrival of her first child.

Instead, she announced that after launching her own fundraising campaign to raise money for the site through her own charitable foundation, it will open this summer.

She said: "I am so happy and excited to tell you all that after a 5 year relationship with @PrincesTrust and a 2 year mission along with Cheryl's Trust we have finally found a centre in the heart of Newcastle that will be opened this summer!

"Part of me is still pinching myself! I wanted to say a personal thank you to each and every one of you that got involved and donated money and items/your time over the years to help me get this off the ground.

"Thank you thank you thank you! And for your continued love and support, I am eternally grateful. Here's to changing lives. I love you."

She ended the message with a heart emoji.

Cheryl changed her birth surname Tweedy to Cole when she married Ashley Cole in 2006 and then became Cheryl Fernandez-Versini following her marriage to Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2014. The pair were granted a decree nisi in October in their divorce proceedings.

She now goes by the mononym Cheryl.

She met her current flame when One Direction star Payne appeared as a 14-year-old contestant on The X Factor in 2008 while she was a judge on the show.