Cheryl Cole to divorce today

03 September 2010Cheryl Cole will divorce her husband Ashley in the High Court today.

The 27-year-old British singer filed for divorce on the grounds of the soccer player's unreasonable behaviour after he was accused of cheating on her with several women.

Cheryl and Ashley's divorce is at the top of a list of splits to be finalised in the court this morning at 10am. It will take just seconds for district judge Christopher Simmonds to grant the decree nisi, which will officially end the couple's four year marriage.

Cheryl lodged divorce papers in May, and 29-year-old Ashley responded immediately, leading to a decree absolute being granted. Cheryl was planning to request the final decree nisi six weeks later, but contracted Malaria and spent several weeks recovering in hospital and her home.

She is now back to full health, and is believed to have requested to have the divorce finalised some time in the past two weeks.

Neither Cheryl nor Ashley are expected to attend court to witness the end of their marriage, but Cheryl is said to be eagerly awaiting the phone call to confirm the divorce has been granted so she can "move on".

"Cheryl is in the States but is watching things very closely," a source told British newspaper The Sun. "She is relieved and pleased things have progressed significantly since her illness. She just wants to move on with her life and getting the divorce done will end a very painful chapter.

"It must not be forgotten Cheryl did not ask for this - the last thing she expected was to be a divorcee at 27. But once she accepted there was no way the marriage could work without the trust destroyed by her husband, the pill was a slightly less bitter one to swallow.

"She and Ashley have no need to stay in touch and all housing and assets will be handled by their legal representatives."

Cheryl and Ashley started dating in 2004. Ashley proposed less than a year later and they wed soon after. Rumours Ashley had been unfaithful started circulating in 2008 and Cheryl stopped wearing her wedding ring for several months. The couple then reconciled, only to split again earlier this year when more cheating allegations surfaced. © Cover Media