Cheryl Cole Confirmed As Next US "X-Factor" Judge

WELP!

Good news, everyone! Simon Cowell has finally filled the third judge's chair on the eagerly-anticipated U.S. version of his overseas hit, The X Factor (Paula Abdul for seat No. 4, anyone?). The lucky lady: none other than veteran U.K. judge Cheryl Cole. Which begs the question, um, who the hell is Cheryl Cole? 

Don't we all wanna know who Cheryl Cole is! All I know, she used to be in a UK singing group called Girls Aloud. But now, Eonline is giving us a peek into more about the new judge.

Peep the answers under the break....



1. She's Britain's Sweetheart: This, ladies and gentlemen, cannot be stressed enough. First, some basics: Cheryl Cole (who actually burst onto the scene as Cheryl Tweedy) is a member of Brit-pop supergroup Girls Aloud, which, believe it or not, is actually the most successful all-girl group ever to grace England's shores (and yes, that's including the Spice Girls). Secondly, Cole is perhaps singularly qualified to judge a singing reality-competition since that is in fact how she got her start—Girls Aloud was cobbled together on Pop Stars: The Rivals, and after a season of auditioning, Cole was one of the five girls ultimately chosen for the group. Incidentally, the judges on that show included Louis Walsh (her fellow X Factor judge in the U.K.) and Geri Halliwell.

2. She's Had Her Share of Scandal. And Then Some: Look, let's just get this out of the way now. The 27-year-old fashion darling has been very publicly (and literally) screwed over. Twice. By the same guy. Who happens to now rightfully be her ex-husband (Ashley Cole - professional footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team).

3. She's No Stranger to Feuds: By now, you may be getting the sense that there are some parallels to be drawn between Cole and Victoria Beckham—both are spunky British girl band pop stars who married footballers and went on to become fashion icons (though in that regard, Cheryl still has a long way to go to catch up to dear Posh). And both of their husbands have been accused (one rightly, one not) of infidelity.

4. You Know Her Boyfriend. Though She'll Never Admit It: In the wake of her super public relationship, it's no surprise that Cheryl wants to keep her love life private (good luck with that one), though she's all but confirmed that she's been spending the better part of the last year romantically involved with none other than Derek Hough.

5. She Almost Died Last Year: Seriously. After her marriage imploded, Cheryl and some friends (among them, tellingly, Derek Hough) took a trip to Tanzania. It was on that trip that Cheryl contracted malaria, though she didn't realize it until after her return—fainting at The X Factor was the first massive clue. She incidentally credits Derek with saving her life, as it was at his insistence that she went to the hospital, where she was promptly taken into intensive care.