Cheryl Cole buys £5million Spanish villa as retreat

Girls Aloud’s Cheryl Cole has splashed out £5million on a new Spanish holiday home to help heal her marriage to footballer Ashley Cole.

The couple spent a week on the Costa del Sol together last month and a source told the Sun that they used the time to househunt as well as relax together.

The source explained that they fell for a villa in an exclusive development just outside Marbella, which includes private pools for each villa and access to a private beach. The resort also has round-the-clock surveillance with panic buttons in each room of the villa and motion detectors in the grounds: “Cheryl loved this development.

“The residents respect and protect everyone else’s security and privacy.

“She and Ashley felt it would provide the perfect private get-away for the two of them in between their busy schedules. She is keen to find a home away from home where they can spend quality time together and feels this is the place.

“She’s going to be bogged down in X Factor for months so wants somewhere where she can get away from it all with Ashley and her mates.”

The couple have been attempting to rebuild their marriage after a kiss-and-tell story revealed Ashley’s infidelity in January.