She’s the new face of L’Oreal’s new Elvive Full Restore 5 range.

She was in some girl band that was the result of one of those reality TV singing shows.

She’s on the X-Factor.

She lost some weight once and people thought she was too skinny.

She’s got hair extensions.

She has her own range of false eyelashes (Girls Aloud Lashes, £5, by Eylure].

She’s always done up to the nines.

She’s married to that footballer; he cheated on her.

She got married in a lavish ceremony in Italy (or was that Coleen?).

She’s really, really popular.

Everyone loves her.

Some of my colleagues want to be her.

Things I know about Cheryl since meeting her the other week:

She’s pretty, but not in threatening way.

She’s not skinny; she’s short and slim.

The reason people love her is because she’s ordinary and accessible; she’s also authentic, open and sweet.

Unlike most celebrities, she doesn’t try to hide the fact she has hair extensions: ‘It’s the hair I dreamed of when I was growing up.’

She might get her hair cut, but only once she’s had three kids and ‘is tearing it out anyway.’

She applies hair masks two to three times a week to keep said hair extensions in good condition, ‘Then I put it up in a clip for half an hour. The instructions say leave it on for three to five minutes, but I watch a whole program on telly before rinsing it off.’

That program is most likely to be Eastenders, Coronation Street or anything on the Biography Channel.

She often watches TV in a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms, slippers and a hooded top, whilst drinking a mug of hot chocolate or glass of Sheridans, which she sips ‘nicely’.

She’s a bit of a hot chocolate fan, and has ‘tried them all: Options, Horlicks…’. She’s currently favouring one that contains real chunks of chocolate, which her mam makes. Her mam sounds lovely.

She feels ‘honoured’ to be part of the ‘Because-you’re-worth-it’ brigade and when it came to filming the L’Oreal ad, she was nervous about delivering the immortal line. ‘I was worried about how it would sound in my thick, Geordie accent. But the director just sprung it on me – ‘OK, now!’. So I just said it. It took a few takes, though; I had to say it in lots of different ways.’

The other members of Girls Aloud ‘can’t believe’ she’s a face of L’Oreal and have sent her texts saying, ‘This is ridiculous!’ She wants to be with them when the ad comes out.

She’s currently working her way through the ‘bagfuls’ of products L’Oreal have sent her to try.

She loves their new Roll On True Match Foundation, £12.99. ‘My dad’s a painter and decorator and it reminds me of his roller brush. It’s so easy you can put it on in the car.’

She used to use a lot of foundation, but since she’s been doing ‘more high fashion stuff’, she’s been introduced to the joys of dewy skin and now thinks it’s nicer to wear less foundation, ‘if you can get away with it.’

One L’Oreal product that needed no introduction was their Telescopic Mascara, £8.99. ‘I discovered it one day and that was me sold. I’m telling you as a friend, it’s the way forward.’

She wears false eyelashes for special occasions, although ‘a lot of things we do are special occasions. Actually, if I get my hair and make-up done, my eyelashes and eye brows are the two things I always do myself – so don’t judge me on them!’

She feels ‘dirty’ if she doesn’t take her make-up off at the end of a day, no matter how shattered she is.

She uses a cleansing wipe first, then a wash, such as Pure Zone Deep Exfoliating Gel Wash, £4.99, by L’Oreal.

She currently likes the trend for shoulder pads and peplum skirts as it gives her a womanly shape.

She says, ‘Now that I’m getting older…’ a lot.

She’s 26.

For lots more Cheryl, including exclusive photographs, get the latest issue of ELLE out today.