Cheryl’s careful comeback! Beloved star is tip-toeing back into the spotlight on her terms with high-end fashion outings, big brand deals and boujee nights out with her bandmates

Cheryl managed to turn heads at the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards on Thursday.

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

Aside from posting a tribute to Liam on Instagram in the first few days following his passing, Cheryl avoided speaking publicly about the late star and tiptoed back into the spotlight.

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

Now, from hosting women-empowering events to being the face of Nivea’s new age-defying skincare campaign, the star is selective about her public appearances.

Similarly, after being supported by her bandmates at Liam’s funeral, Cheryl returns the favor by celebrating her first public outing with her West End theater debut for Nicola Robert’s Hadestown.

He also made a brief but high-profile return to Saturday night television by sending a good-luck video message to Vicky Pattison on Strictly Come Dancing.

Cheryl officially returned to work in August after being announced as the face of a new range with Nivea

She presented the Music Award to Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall in a chic black lace number at the Harper’s Bazaar celebrations on Thursday night.

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

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

But Cheryl appears to be incredibly selective about what she attends, choosing to spend the night at London’s Lyric Theater to support her bandmate Nicola, who is currently starring in the West End show.

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

Keeping warm in the evenings, the artist combined her autumn look with a floor-length brown coat and posed for photos.

Meanwhile, ahead of the anniversary of Liam’s death, Nicola was also photographed celebrating her 40th birthday with an intimate dinner at the Lanesborough Hotel in London’s Belgravia.

She was photographed leaving the five-star hotel wearing an elegant black satin dress, a tailored jacket and a chunky gold chain necklace.

Cheryl kept a low profile as she dealt with the tragic situation following Liam’s death, which left her eight-year-old son Bear fatherless (filmed in Dubai in 2023)

The Girls Aloud star made her first public appearance since Liam’s funeral at the premiere night in Hadestown in October.

In her new campaign with the skincare giant, Cheryl shows off her age-defying skin in a clip full of references to her career over the years.

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

In her new campaign with the skincare giant, Cheryl shows off her age-defying skin in a clip full of references to her career over the years.

The stunning clip shows Cheryl exiting the car and entering the studio, where she sits and reads a newspaper with the date ‘August 2025’ along with lyrics from her 2009 song Fight For This Love.

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

Nivea’s title was a reference to one of the slogans that Cheryl often used during her time as an X Factor judge, saying “you’re right up my alley”.

Excitement reached fever pitch among fans following the trailer’s release, with Rylan Clark adding a series of heart-eye emojis, while delighted fans flocked to the comments, writing: ‘This has made my ENTIRE LIFE beautiful…

‘This is epic… OH LOVE… THIS IS UP MY STREET… OH MY GOD, I’M NOT READY… I can’t wait… whenever you are… Our girl is back!!… Queen Cheryl is back.’

Cheryl also modeled a range of stunning looks as part of the campaign, showing off her sophisticated style.

In a candid move, she wore a stylish black leather shirt and a body-hugging pencil skirt with pinstripe detailing.

The singer posed on a chair wearing a chic mini shirt dress and black over-the-knee boots in the candid black-and-white photo.

Meanwhile, in another striking move, Cheryl wore a classic black leather trench coat with double-breasted button-downs and a belt to wrap around her waist.

For her second look, Cheryl wore a classic black leather trench coat with a belt that hugged her waist.

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

For her latest look, she posed on a chair wearing a chic mini shirt dress.

Cheryl also appeared on a recent episode of Strictly after sending a good luck message to contestant Vicky Pattison.

Vicky had chosen to dance in Fight For This Love for the BBC show’s Icon Week, explaining: ‘Cheryl Cole is an icon to me. A working-class girl from Newcastle.

‘He had his ups and downs, his knees were scraped. I feel like I can relate to a lot of this.’

And after picking out her incredible pair in the iconic red military outfit from the music video, Vicky was left stunned when she received a video message from Cheryl.

Speaking in a video, the singer said: ‘Hi Vicky, I’m Cheryl. First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on your absolute success so far.

‘You’re doing a great job. I am so honored and proud to be the icon you have chosen for this week.

‘I know it’s in you because you’re a Geordie. So go out and fight for your place, I’m sending you lots of love. I will support you from home. Big kiss!’

Vicky shouted with joy: ‘He knows who I am! My god! ‘I love you, Cheryl!’

Cheryl also appeared in a recent episode of Strictly after sending a good luck message to contestant Vicky Pattison.

Vicky shouted with joy: ‘He knows who I am! My god! ‘I love you, Cheryl!’

Long gone are the days when Cheryl was regularly seen on daytime shows such as X Factor, (pictured), Popstars: The Rivals and The Greatest Dancer.

Meanwhile, in July, it was reported that Cheryl was in early talks about returning to television after five years starring as a judge on The Voice.

It has been claimed that he is preparing for the 14th series, in which his long-time friend and collaborator will.i.am will also join him.

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

‘A lot has changed in Cheryl’s personal life since she last worked on a talent show like BBC’s The Greatest Dancer, so she’s taking baby steps to reassert herself.’

Cheryl’s ex-partner Liam, who she dated from early 2016 to July 2018, suffered a fatal fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina in October 2024, when she was 31, and a subsequent toxicology report revealed he had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system.

Cheryl kept a low profile as she dealt with the tragic situation following the One Direction star’s death, which left her eight-year-old son Bear fatherless.

Following Liam’s death, it was revealed that the authority to administer the estate of the 31-year-old man, who fell to his death on October 16 last year, was given to Cheryl.

Because he died without leaving a will, he was declared intestate. This means that as an unmarried parent, his or her inheritance is shared among all children.

Friends and family later spoke out and insisted that Cheryl would ‘always do the right thing for her beloved son’. They expressed how determined he was to make sure his only son would be well cared for should something happen to him.

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

A source close to the late singer told the Daily Mail: “It’s small consolation that Bear wouldn’t ask for anything, but at least he’ll take advantage of it.”