The majority of the British public believes Girls Aloud singer and X Factor judge Cheryl Cole is right to divorce her football star husband Ashley Cole, a survey for The Sun newspaper has found.
Results show that there is strong support for Cheryl’s decision to end her four year marriage to the Chelsea and England left back, with only one percent saying they think she is wrong to do so. 68% agreed that she was right to file for divorce, while 31% say they do not know if she has made the correct decision (although this might be as much a reflection of the fact that many may not follow the couple’s celebrity antics than of any affirmation of worry about the decision).
The survey results come after Cheryl Cole confirmed this week that she is seeking a divorce from her husband, citing ‘unreasonable behaviour’ on his part. This follows newspaper reports early this year alleging that the footballer had been unfaithful on a number of occasions.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given Cheryl Cole’s northern roots (she is from Newcastle), support for her decision to file for divorce is stronger in the North, where 73% say that she has made the right decision, compared to 63% in London, 66% in the rest of the South, 67% in the Midlands and Wales, and 66% in Scotland.
And the story is hot property on the TellYouGov leaderboard as well, but not necessarily positively. Since news of the divorce broke earlier this week, Cheryl Cole has recorded a large volume of 205, after an increase of 158 in 24 hours, putting her in fourth place, just behind popular topic ‘World Cup 2010’ and the ubiquitous Coalition leaders David Cameron and Nick Clegg. But despite this apparent popularity, her sentiment score is -146, meaning the comments received have been largely negative.
One user, or ‘tygger’, complained that they are ‘fed up of hearing about her ‘problems’’, with another wondering why saying there is ‘too much publicity surrounding her private life’. Another exclaimed, ‘we don’t need to know about her divorce or personal life; she is just an artist’.
However, some took a kindlier stance, with one supporting her decision to divorce her husband, because ‘it shows that not all women are weak’. Another even went so far as to call her a ‘great inspiration to women’. The debate rages on.
Survey details and full results
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