Cheryl’s Stylish Comeback: Star Returns on Her Own Terms with Fashion and Fame

Cheryl is carefully making her comeback into the spotlight after she stole the show at the Harper’s Bazaar Women Of The Year Awards on Thursday.

The Girls Aloud star, 42, wowed in a chic black gown as she attended her first award event since Liam’s Payne’s tragic death.

Aside from her Instagram tribute to Liam in the first few days following his passing, Cheryl has refrained from speaking about the late star publicly and has tiptoed back into the limelight.

Long gone are the days when Cheryl would regularly be seen on our TV screens on reality TV shows such as, Popstars: The Rivals, The X Factor and The Greatest Dancer.

Now, from female empowering events, to becoming the face of Nivea’s new age-defying skin care campaign, the star is being selective with her public appearances.

Similarly after being supported by her bandmates at Liam’s funeral, Cheryl has been returning the favour as she marked her first public outing with Nicola Robert’s West End theatre debut for Hadestown. 

She also made a short, but high-profile, return to Saturday night television as she sent Vicky Pattison a good luck video message on Strictly Come Dancing.  

On Thursday evening she presented Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall with the Music Award at the Harper’s Bazaar celebrations in the classy black lace number.

The prestigious event came just a month after the Girls Aloud star made her first public appearance since Liam’s funeral at the gala night of Hadestown in October.

Celebrities are often invited to all sorts of premieres, opening nights and press opportunities.

But Cheryl appears to be being incredibly picky with what she attends, choosing to spend the night at the Lyric Theatre in London in order to support her bandmate Nicola who is currently starring in the West End show.

Cheryl looked sensationally stylish in a rich brown suit, with a brown turtleneck top underneath.

Keeping warm during the evening, she paired her autumnal look with a brown floor-length coat as she posed for snaps.

Meanwhile she was also pictured on a night out ahead of the anniversary of Liam’s death as she celebrated Nicola’s 40th birthday with an intimate dinner at the Lanesborough Hotel in London’s Belgravia.

She was pictured leaving the five star hotel in an elegant black satin dress, paired with a tailored blazer and a chunky gold chain necklace.

Cheryl also officially returned to work in August after she was announced as the face of a new range with Nivea.

In the her new campaign with the skincare giant, Cheryl showcased her age-defying skin in a clip littered with nods to her career over the years.

The striking clip showed Cheryl strutting out of a car into a studio where she sat and read a newspaper adorned with the lyrics to her 2009 song Fight For This Love alongside the date ‘August 2025’.

A message then flashed up, and revealed: ‘A New Era, Tomorrow’. The social media team captioned the clip: ‘This is right up our street. Tomorrow. 9am. A new era of skincare… guess who’s joining us?’

The caption from Nivea was a nod to one of Cheryl’s catchphrases during her stint as an X Factor judge – when she would often say ‘you are right up my street’.

Following the release of the teaser, excitement reached fever pitch among fans in the comments, with Rylan Clark adding a number of heart eye emojis, while delighted fans flooded the comments to write: ‘This has made my ENTIRE LIFE…

‘This is epic… OH LOVEEEE… THIS IS RIGHT UP MY STREETTTT… OMG OMG IM NOT READY… Can’t wait… whenever ur ready… Our girl is back!!… Queen Cheryl is back.’

Cheryl also modelled a range of stunning looks as part of the campaign as she flaunted her sophisticated style.

In one candid snap, she slipped into a chic black leather shirt and a figure-hugging pencil skirt with pinstripe detailing..

For her second look, Cheryl donned a classic black leather trench coat, featuring a belt to cinch in her waist.

She paired the ensemble with black pointed heels and trendy oversized shades as she posed for a candid black-and-white snap.

For her final look, she slipped into a chic mini shirt dress as she struck a pose on a chair.

Cheryl also featured in a recent Strictly episode after she sent contestant Vicky Pattison a good luck message. 

Vicky had chosen to dance to Fight For This Love for the BBC show’s Icon Week, as she explained: ‘Cheryl Cole is an icon to me. She’s a working class girl from Newcastle.

‘She has had her ups and downs, her grazed knees. I just feel like I can relate to a lot of that.’

And after performing her incredible couple’s choice in the iconic red military outfit from the music video, Vicky was left flabbergasted as she received a video message from Cheryl.  

Speaking in a video, the singer said: ‘Hi Vicky, It’s Cheryl here. I first of all wanted to say congratulations on your Strictly success thus far.

‘You’ve been doing amazing. I’m very honoured and humbled to be your chosen icon for this week.

‘I know you’ve got it in you because you’re a Geordie. So go out there and fight for your place and I’m sending you loads of love. I will be rooting from you from home. Big kiss!’

Elated, Vicky screamed: ‘She knows who I am! Oh my God! I love you Cheryl!’

Meanwhile in July it was reported that Cheryl was in advance talks to return to TV after five years by taking a role as a judge on The Voice.

It has been claimed she is being lined up for the 14th series, where she will be joined by her long-time friend and collaborator will.i.am.

Insiders told The Sun: ‘will.i.am and Cheryl first worked together 16 years ago and have remained good friends ever since. She was the obvious choice to mentor his team when the Battle Rounds return four years after being axed.

‘A lot has happened in Cheryl’s personal life since she was last working on a talent show – BBC’s The Greatest Dancer – so she’s taking baby steps to put herself back out there.’

The One Direction star suffered a fatal fall off a hotel balcony in Argentina in October 2024 at the age of 31, and a subsequent toxicology report revealed alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system.

Cheryl kept a low profile following Liam’s death as she navigated the tragic situation which left her son Bear, eight, without a father.

Following Liam’s passing, it was revealed Cheryl was granted the power of administration of the 31-year-old’s estate after he fell to his death on October 16 last year. 

As he died without leaving a will, he was declared intestate. This means that as an unmarried parent his estate is shared between any children.

Friends and family spoke out afterwards and insisted Cheryl ‘will always do the right thing by her beloved son’. They expressed how he was adamant to make sure his only son would be well looked after in the event anything happened to him.

Liam left a total of £28,595,000, which was later reduced to £24,280,000 after his expenses and debts were paid, according to court documents.

‘It is a small consolation that Bear will never want for anything, that he will at least benefit from that,’ a source close to the late singer told the Mail.