Cheryl Cole kicks out Ashley and calls Prince Charles's divorce lawyer

By Sara Nathan and Richard Simpson

'Quick divorce': Cheryl has been advised to expect a straight split of her and Ashley's assets


She wanted a polite discussion on how to split their marital assets. He swaggered in, confident that he could win her back.

Within half an hour, Ashley Cole had been kicked out of their home - and shortly afterwards Cheryl Cole consulted Fiona Shackleton, the divorce lawyer who represented Sir Paul McCartney and Prince Charles.

However, it is unclear whether Mrs Cole has decided to formally instruct Miss Shackleton's firm Payne Hicks Beach yet.

Mrs Cole and her estranged husband met for talks at their £6million Surrey mansion last Friday on his return from a sports injury clinic in France.

But when she realised that he planned to talk about a reconciliation, she decided the conversation was off.

He remained in the house for less than half an hour, enough time to collect some clothes, before heading for a friend's house.

A source close to Mrs Cole said that she has been advised to get the divorce over as quickly as possible.

She has also been told to expect a straight split of their assets because it was a short marriage (only four years), they both have substantial incomes and there are no children.

Their six-bedroomed mansion is to be put on the market and the profit split down the middle.


Kicked out: Ashley Cole is seen leaving a London address in his car after talks fell through with his estranged wife Cheryl


Cole is likely to keep his £450,00 North London flat and his £830,000 flat in Dubai, while his wife is most likely to keep Coco and Buster, their pet chihuahuas.

The Chelsea footballer earns £6.2million a year. Mrs Cole was paid £1.2million for her role as a judge on The X Factor, has a £500,000 deal with L'Oreal, and has banked several million from her career with Girls Aloud.

She is being advised that the grounds for divorce should be unreasonable behaviour - her husband sending lewd texts with semi-naked pictures of himself to other women - rather than infidelity, which he is not likely to formally admit and is more difficult for her to prove.

The source said: 'Cheryl is being told she should not drag this through the courts.
'Lawyers for Ashley could build a case that she wasn't the perfect wife either.


Embarrassed: Ashley Cole kept himself hidden as he arrived back at his Surrey home to face wife Cheryl Cole


Don't let them see me: Ashley appeared to be talking to his driver as they approached the mansion he shares with Cheryl


'She has hardly seen him for months on end due to work, her mother Joan's presence in the house has hardly been conducive to romance, she might occasionally have been demanding and moody.

'We know she can also have a difficult side. This is the girl who was found guilty of punching a nightclub toilet attendant.'

Cole has been telling others that he is becoming resigned to the fact that the marriage is doomed, even telling one that he is glad this happened now rather than 'a few years down the road when children could have been involved'.


Unwell: Cheryl Cole, seen here at Heathrow Airport last weekend, cancelled her appearance on Jonathan Ross's chat show on Friday night


source: dailymail