Cheryl’s close friend Nicola Roberts has voiced annoyance over how the popstar’s split from Liam Payne has been discussed.
Girls Aloud star Nicola told ITV’s Loose Women she wasn’t happy to read articles that questioned “why Cheryl couldn’t keep a man”, rather than asking “why a man couldn’t keep Cheryl”.
The star was on Loose Women to talk about her role as a Barnardo’s ambassador but was asked towards the end of her interview about Cheryl, who announced this week she’s ended her two-and-a-half year romance with Liam.
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Nicola said: “She’s good. She’s okay.”
“I actually think what’s been interesting this week is to see how the misogyny has played out. There have been a couple of articles like, ‘Oh, why can’t she hold a man down?’ and stuff like that. And it’s just like, why can’t a man hold her down, you know?'”
Cheryl, 35, and One Direction singer Liam, 24, announced their split on Sunday with matching Twitter statements saying their focus going forward will be on their one-year-old son Bear.
Cheryl was previously wed to footballer Ashley Cole and entrepreneur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.
Nicola appeared on Loose Women alongside Coronation Street actor Chris Harper to talk about their work raising awareness of child exploitation.
Chris, of course, played evil Nathan in Corrie, who was involved in a dark plot to groom teenage Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon).
Nicola has been ambassador for Barnardo’s for eight years.
New research from Barnardo’s found 60 per cent of the children’s charity’s services described supporting a young person involved in crime in the last year, with three quarters of those believed to be young people coerced, controlled, deceived or manipulated into criminal activity.
Chris revealed Barnardo’s has worked with over 300,000 children in the last year.
He said the campaign is “drawing attention now to the fact a lot of children who get involved in crime are being coerced or manipulated into it.”
He added: “I think that’s where the Corrie storyline with Bethany really struck a note; you had to realise whether it was crime like violence, drugs, weapons or sexual abuse and exploitation, she wasn’t the victim.
“Barnardo’s are drawing attention not to the criminal activity but to the fact these children are victims, first and foremost.”
Chris added: “Children who have been forced into illegal activities through fear or blackmail should not be criminalised. They should be recognised as victims and given the right support. More must be done to tackle online groomers and criminal gangs to protect these children.”
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Nicola told the panel she’s trying to get a documentary commissioned in order to make PSHE lessons compulsory in schools.
“So every child age-appropriately will be taught about sexual education, mental health, what’s healthy in a relationship and what’s not healthy in a relationship, how to spot behavioural patterns,” she said.
“If the documentary gets commissioned, we can hopefully shape a new generation of kids to feel less anxious.”
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