She’s the closest we’ve come to a ‘people’s princess’ since Lady Diana, but Cheryl Cole wasn’t always the polished pop star we see in the L'Oréal adverts or on the X Factor judging panel. Born in 1983 this Geordie lass has even admitted to being a bit of a tomboy in the past, preferring baggy trousers to the bodycon dresses she’s now famed for. And, despite a near-death experience and messy divorce, she’s still managed to come out on top, proving herself as a worthy style icon – hair extensions and all.

Read on to see her celebrity transformation unfold before your very eyes…

2003
A year after Cheryl Cole burst onto the scene in Popstars:The Rivals auditions, Cheryl is snapped here aged 19 and sporting a short bob, fake tan (some things never change!) and stripy caramel highlights; a far cry from the polished look we see today.

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Someone found the bronzer! With a fuller face, wonky teeth and a mane of black hair Cheryl looks a thousand miles away from the prim princess we now know and she’s even just been found guilty of assaulting a nightclub toilet attendant!  Her wispy fringe draws attention to her beautiful deep brown eyes, and although she doesn’t look completely comfortable in front of the camera, Cheryl looks happy despite the bad press of 2004.

Here’s Cheryl in a studio session for Girls Aloud.  She’s donned her false eyelashes and pulled her blonde hair back away from her face, which makes her brown eyes look fantastic.  Popstars: The Rivals judge Pete Waterman praised Cheryl for her flawless skin and beautiful eyes and said, “You’d need to be dead if you didn’t think she was stunning, my god!”  And we have to agree!

Cheryl’s recently started dating Chelsea player and future Mr Tweedy, Ashley Cole and looks like the cat that got the cream. She’s opted for matchy matchy with blue eyeliner which mirrors her top and earrings and honey blonde dyed hair scrunched into curls – it’s not a look we like Cheryl!

Cheryl appears to have realised that she can pull-off a look effortlessly and ditches the matching eye shadow.  As her hair makes a move towards the big full on tresses that we associate with Mrs Cole nowadays, Cheryl looks more comfortable in her own skin than ever. Her flawless skin and  natural makeup does the talking.

She’s about to tie the knot with Ashley and Cheryl goes all-out glam for their National Lottery photo shoot.  Sporting hair extensions we are accustomed to see donning her head nowadays, Cheryl looks glowing with rosy cheeks and orange tinted lip gloss, a world away from the young girl that joined the Girls Aloud some years before.

The new Mrs Cole steps out with a new-look and pulls out all the stops as she takes her hair a shade lighter and gets out her GHDS for an all-together sleek and sophisticated look.  Her new peek-a-boo fringe emphasises her gorgeous cheekbones and sparkling eyes. An all-round success we say.

One month later and Cheryl has dusted off the hair extensions again.  In full extension mode Cheryl makes the most of her doll-like, porcelain skin with rouge blusher and highlighter, drawing attention to her beautiful brown eyes with a flutter of false eyelashes.

Keeping with current hair trends Cheryl goes back to a fringe, opting for a thicker, blunter cut in a rich chocolaty brown shade which compliments her eyes. Cheryl’s heading into the busiest stage of her career and she proves that she means business with her make-up.  She sports a deep red lipstick with heavily lined eyes, but sticks to the ‘one or another rule’, choosing to draw attention to her lips over eyes. It’s a look we love!

Cheryl proves that she’s got a little Grecian goddess in her while attending the St Trinian’s World premiere.  Cheryl keeps up with the fashion crowd by adorning her hair with a gorgeous gold head band which compliments her golden skin tone, bronzed cheeks and smokey eyes.

There have been allegations of an affair on Ashley’s part and Cheryl’s taken to leaving the house without her wedding ring so it’s no wonder the songbird’s smile is looking a little strained.  Making her point, Cheryl shows Ashley what he’s missing and daringly clashes her bright fuchsia lipstick with her canary yellow dress and brings back her now infamous Cheryl Cole hair extensions. Go girl!

Having conquered her heartache and focused on Showbiz domination, Cheryl's became the nation’s darling on The X Factor.  The glamorous judge looks her most comfortable here and sticks with her chocolate and caramel highlights and big glossy hair.  She lets her smoky, sultry eyes do the talking and leaves the rest of her makeup natural, opting for highlighter and peachy red lips. We can’t wait to see Cheryl’s new looks for 2009!

Cheryl could be in danger of turning chavtastic with this super long double-banded ponytail, perm-style curls and heavy black eyeliner. Thankfully it was just a one-off for the Pride of Britain Awards where she hit the red carpet with her Girls Aloud bandmates.

The shortest we’ve seen Cheryl’s hair in years, she’s used extensions to give her hair added height and volume rather than length, and we love it. A gorgeous sandy brown colour, it complements her complexion perfectly leaving her looking radiant.

Following the trend for coloured locks, Cheryl ditches her brown hair in favour of a plummy red colour and encourages her X Factor contestants to do the same. A bold move for Cheryl who usually plays it safe when it comes to colour, maybe this is the post-split style that will help her find a new man.

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