Cheryl Cole isn’t always as polished as she appears on The X Factor, says her brother Andrew. Designer frocks were replaced with hoodies when the Girls Aloud star visited her alcoholic and drug-addicted sibling in prison.
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Cheryl’s 28-year-old brother has been locked up for a third of his life, and has made more than 50 court appearances for offences ranging from brutal robbery to street fighting with knives.
Andrew admitted that Cheryl, 25, repeatedly visited him in prison to help him get back on track. “I know I’m breaking her heart but I’m not strong enough to sort myself out,” he told the Daily Mirror.
Cheryl’s brother is now out of prison but was in the middle of a nine-year sentence when Cheryl shot to fame and built her estimated worth of £7 million.
Andrew claims Cheryl suggested her husband, football player Ashley Cole, would pay for rehab, but Andrew declined.
Cheryl and Andrew grew up on a heroin-afflicted Newcastle estate with two brothers and a sister. The singer had her own court encounter in January 2003, when she assaulted a nightclub toilet attendant in Guildford, Surrey. Cheryl was given 120 hours community service and fined £500 to compensate her victim and £3,000 for court costs.
Andrew is still working to build a better life, as Cheryl has. “She tells me I should be inspired by what she’s done and that I can turn my back on booze and violence,” he told the Mirror. “Instead, like a fool, I go back to the drink and the glue.”
– Jill Hilbrenner
