Through thick and thin, the shifting shape of Cheryl: As the singer steps out looking worryingly thin, FEMAIL charts how her size has always reflected the stresses and strains of life

  • 32-year-old looked remarkably thin at X Factor auditions in Manchester
  • Revealed in Instagram post that she has lost her father-in-law recently
  • Has been affected by weight loss during other stressful times in her life

THE X Factor’s back soon with Cheryl Fernandez-Versini facing off against a new rival judge in the glamorous shape of fellow pop star Rita Ora. 

This week, Cheryl, 32, was pictured at auditions in Manchester looking worryingly thin and says she’s grieving for her father-in-law. 

But it’s not the first time her size has reflected the stresses and strains of her life. CLAUDIA CONNELL looks back...

This week: Cheryl, 32, was pictured at auditions in Manchester looking worryingly thin and says she’s grieving for her father-in-law

This week: Cheryl, 32, was pictured at auditions in Manchester looking worryingly thin and says she’s grieving for her father-in-law

Starting out: After auditioning for Popstars: The Rivals and joining Girls Aloud, curvy Cheryl Tweedy looks very different from the star we know now

Starting out: After auditioning for Popstars: The Rivals and joining Girls Aloud, curvy Cheryl Tweedy looks very different from the star we know now

June 2003: Voluptuous in tight jeans, she has a new (criminal) record — after an assault in a club

June 2003: Voluptuous in tight jeans, she has a new (criminal) record — after an assault in a club

July 2003: Backstage at a festival she looks natural, with no hair extensions or faddy diets

July 2003: Backstage at a festival she looks natural, with no hair extensions or faddy diets

July 2004: The Girls Aloud stars have been told by manager Louis Walsh to shed weight

July 2004: The Girls Aloud stars have been told by manager Louis Walsh to shed weight

January 2005: Now dating Ashley Cole and she has slimmed down, WAG style

January 2005: Now dating Ashley Cole and she has slimmed down, WAG style

May 2005: Those work-outs have turned her curves into a rock-hard stomach

May 2005: Those work-outs have turned her curves into a rock-hard stomach

July 2006: The week she wed Ashley, looking every inch the footballer’s wife in a white dress

July 2006: The week she wed Ashley, looking every inch the footballer’s wife in a white dress

February 2008: Extremely thin and reportedly refusing to eat after rumours Ashley cheated

February 2008: Extremely thin and reportedly refusing to eat after rumours Ashley cheated

May 2008: After briefly moving out of the marital home, Cheryl decides to stick with Ashley. But the toll is clear: she is reportedly down to a size six

May 2008: After briefly moving out of the marital home, Cheryl decides to stick with Ashley. But the toll is clear: she is reportedly down to a size six

July 2008: Strikingly thin, but now Cheryl is an X Factor judge. On the internet, people wonder if she has developed an eating disorder

July 2008: Strikingly thin, but now Cheryl is an X Factor judge. On the internet, people wonder if she has developed an eating disorder

April 2009: She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief and looks fit and toned as a result

April 2009: She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief and looks fit and toned as a result

June 2009: Her marriage back on track, Cheryl looks slim in a lime green swimsuit — but a far cry from her gaunt figure the year before

June 2009: Her marriage back on track, Cheryl looks slim in a lime green swimsuit — but a far cry from her gaunt figure the year before

March 2010: Forlorn after splitting with Ashley once and for all, the pounds are dropping off once again

March 2010: Forlorn after splitting with Ashley once and for all, the pounds are dropping off once again

May 2010: Divorce papers are filed, but she puts on a brave face at Cannes, looking petite but shapely

May 2010: Divorce papers are filed, but she puts on a brave face at Cannes, looking petite but shapely

November 2010: After beating malaria and returning to The X Factor, Cheryl is back to a curvy, healthy size ten

November 2010: After beating malaria and returning to The X Factor, Cheryl is back to a curvy, healthy size ten

May 2011: Slender Cheryl is swamped by her colourful outfit on the first day of filming X Factor USA in Los Angeles

May 2011: Slender Cheryl is swamped by her colourful outfit on the first day of filming X Factor USA in Los Angeles

May 2011: Humiliated after being sacked by Simon Cowell, Cheryl flies home. Her curves hint she may have been comfort eating... 

May 2011: Humiliated after being sacked by Simon Cowell, Cheryl flies home. Her curves hint she may have been comfort eating... 

October 2012: On tour as a solo artist, by now she’s dating dancer Tre Holloway and her stage routines seem to have caused her to lose weight

October 2012: On tour as a solo artist, by now she’s dating dancer Tre Holloway and her stage routines seem to have caused her to lose weight

August 2013: Possibly the world’s most controversial tattoo. The roses cover her buttocks and most of her lower back. How could so much detail be inked on a body so tiny?

August 2013: Possibly the world’s most controversial tattoo. The roses cover her buttocks and most of her lower back. How could so much detail be inked on a body so tiny?

July 2014: Radiant and in love with new boyfriend and future husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini

July 2014: Radiant and in love with new boyfriend and future husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini

July 2014: Just back from her honey-moon, Cheryl appears happy and more shapely than she has in a long time

July 2014: Just back from her honey-moon, Cheryl appears happy and more shapely than she has in a long time

May 2015: The first sign of trouble? Cheryl reveals a bony back and chiselled jawline at the Cannes film festival

May 2015: The first sign of trouble? Cheryl reveals a bony back and chiselled jawline at the Cannes film festival

June 2015: Gaunt on holiday in Italy. She puts her dramatic weight loss down to grieving for her father-in-law

June 2015: Gaunt on holiday in Italy. She puts her dramatic weight loss down to grieving for her father-in-law

July 2015: At The X Factor auditions this week Cheryl’s frame is doll-like — perhaps the thinnest she’s ever been
The top reveals how little fat she has on her, while her trousers appear to hang off her

July 2015: At The X Factor auditions this week Cheryl’s frame is doll-like — perhaps the thinnest she’s ever been. The top reveals how little fat she has on her, while her trousers appear to hang off her

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