Love often makes people do strange, unexplainable things that they otherwise wouldn’t have considered — at least so it seems for Cheryl Cole. According to the Daily Mail , Cole has decided to completely wipe her Instagram account clean. The singer has unfollowed everyone that she previously followed, and has deleted all of the photos which she has posted over the years — including photos of ex Liam Payne and their son, Bear.
Cole then replaced her previous bio with the hashtag, #LoveMadeMeDoIt, along with an ASCII-formatted emoji. She left her 3.3 million followers intact.
Fans have speculated that the quick and dramatic social media cleanse could mean that the singer is preparing for a musical comeback. It has been reported that Cole was in the middle of working on a comeback track that detailed her split from ex-One Direction band member Liam Payne, according to the Sun .
Cole and Payne first crossed paths when Payne auditioned on the X Factor while Cole was judging alongside Simon Cowell in 2008. After Cole’s two failed marriages, the pair confirmed their relationship in February of 2016. Later that year, pregnancy rumors began to circulate — but the couple refused to address them. In 2017, Cole gave birth to a baby boy, Bear, and the pair both posted the announcement to their respective social media accounts. The couple eventually called it quits in 2018.
Cole has been tight-lipped about the breakup, but this comeback song could be her way of expressing her feelings.
“It is a very edgy pop-dance track and not a typical song which you would expect from Cheryl. She’s not holding back on her feelings and inevitably it will lead to a lot of speculation,” a source told the Sun .
A source close to the couple told the Daily Mail that the couple parted ways because Payne wanted to get married quickly, but Cole wasn’t quite ready. This may be perceived to be understandable by some, as she had already been divorced twice at the time.
“Liam is smitten with his little boy and wants things to work between him and Cheryl, so thought talk of marriage was a positive step. But she just doesn’t seem to be thinking in the same sort of way and has made it clear that’s not on the cards at the moment, which he saw as a real snub,” the source said.
Both Cole and Payne posted the same message to their fans, announcing that they would be going their separate ways.
Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.
— Liam (@LiamPayne) July 1, 2018
Cheryl Cole née Tweedy rose to fame in 2002 with girl band Girls Aloud. After seven years with the group, she embarked on a solo career and released four studio albums. She currently holds the second most U.K. No. 1 singles for a British female solo artist.
Cole appeared on X Factor as a judge, and has become somewhat of a fashion icon. She has been featured on the cover of several magazines, including British Vogue , Elle , and Harper’s Bazaar .