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By SARA NATHAN and BEN TODD
Just good friends? Miss Cole is said to be moving to LA to be close to Derek HoughShe is on the brink of making a fresh start in America following a tumultuous year.
But to ensure she can really put the past behind her, Cheryl Cole is moving out of the £6million Surrey mansion she shared with her former husband Ashley Cole.
The plan is to move to the States to be nearer to her increasingly close friend, dancer Derek Hough
His family have claimed the pair are ‘in love’ but Miss Cole has repeatedly refused to discuss their friendship.
Despite rumours that Miss Cole, 27, planned to sell the property in Hurtmore, Surrey, her ex-husband is, in fact, to move back in.
A source close to the footballer told the Mail: ‘Ashley and Cheryl have come to an agreement. Ashley will keep the house as part of the final financial settlement.
‘Cheryl has said that she wants to buy a pad in town – but obviously she is making plans to buy a property in Los Angeles.’
Happier times: the couple before they split over Cole's alleged infidelitiesThe house, which the couple bought in 2007, boasts nine bedrooms, four bathrooms and garage space for ten cars as well as a tennis court and swimming pool.
Cole moved out after the couple’s split in February – but is keen to get home after his bachelor pad was burgled in September.
Marital home: Ashley Cole will move back into the Surrey mansionThe friend continued: ‘There is no dispute regarding anything between Cheryl and Ashley. Despite the gossips, the financial discussions have been very amicable.’
Me too: Cheryl Cole's mother Joan Callaghan is set to join her in the U.S.As the Mail revealed this week, Miss Cole was thrilled after learning she had scooped a judging role alongside close friend Simon Cowell on the American X Factor.
The star was told the news on Saturday night after U.S. TV executives from Fox came to watch her in the studio.
Music mogul Cowell, 51, has said he will unveil the judging line-up next month.
Only then will Miss Cole start house hunting in the States with the help of her mother Joan Callaghan, who plans to go with her.
Although Miss Cole and Hough refuse to discuss the exact nature of their relationship, the singer has praised the 25-year-old dancer as an ‘amazing, amazing person’.
Hough’s stepfather Aaron Nelson confirmed Miss Cole was looking at moving to LA.
He said: ‘She came over to see him a few weeks ago. I can say that when you love someone you want to be around them.’
However, Miss Cole’s past could come back to haunt her. The singer, who was found guilty of actual bodily harm seven years ago for an attack on a toilet attendant, could find herself unable to obtain a U.S. visa.
Despite this, it is thought that lawyers will be able to ‘make things work’, according to an X Factor source.
Top of her game: With fellow X-Factor judges Louis Walsh, left, Danni Minogue and Simon Cowellsource: dailymail
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