'I'll always love Ashley,' says Cheryl Cole in emotional interview with Piers Morgan

Cheryl Cole broke down during a television interview as she spoke about her failed marriage and battle with malaria.

The X Factor judge told Piers Morgan that her split from England footballer Ashley Cole had left her heartbroken, but she insisted she will ‘always love’ him.

The 27-year-old told Morgan's ITV1 show Life Stories last night that she was at a loss to explain why the relationship had collapsed.

Miss Cole, 27, revealed she still regularly speaks to him, despite his infidelity during their three-and-a-half year marriage. She was granted a divorce in September.

Confessions: A visibly upset Cheryl Cole leaving the ITV studios last night after filming an emotional interview with Piers Morgan

'A genuinely nice guy': Cheryl says she is still in touch with her ex husband Ashley and hopes they will eventually be good friends

The singer was in tears as she said she still believed he was ‘a genuinely nice guy’, adding: ‘Once we get over this obstacle, I hope we can be friends again. A part of me will always love Ashley.’

She explained: 'Looking back on it, I feel numb. We had a great marriage and a fantastic wedding day but I don't know where it went wrong.

'To this day I still question that.'

Miss Cole also revealed that she wrote a will after doctors told her she was on the brink of death with malaria.

Red alert: Cheryl arrived for X Factor rehearsals today with bright locks to match her bag

The X Factor star said she had been given just 24 hours to live as she fought the illness in hospital.

Newcastle-born Miss Cole had to miss the ‘boot camp’ stage of the current series of X Factor after falling ill with malaria in July. She was only fit enough to return once the live shows began last weekend.

Doctors had told the star she was close to death after she contracted the illness during a trip to Tanzania.

Host: Piers Morgan asked Cheryl about various aspects of her personal life

She admitted drinking three vodkas the night before a photoshoot which left her feeling like she had ‘the worst hangover’.

It turned out to be the start of her struggle with the illness.

Support: Cheryl's mother Joan Tweedy watched the interview with Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts

In the interview, for Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, she admitted drawing up a will and considering how to divide up her possessions among friends and family.

She told Morgan: ‘I thought I was going to die, I actually thought I was going to die. I thought if I’m going to die I want to die soon because I was in so much pain’.

A source on the programme said: ‘She was given 24 hours to survive and told if her condition did not improve she would die.’

Miss Cole, who earned £1.2million for the last series of The X Factor, also
discussed her relationship with Simon Cowell, adding: ‘I have a connection with him like no one else.

‘He is one of the most important people in my life. He just gets me.’

However she confessed she missed being a ‘regular’ girl.

‘Sometimes I feel completely trapped,’ she said. ‘I just can’t go back to Newcastle and put on tracksuit bottoms and Ugg boots.’

The interview will be broadcast on ITV on October 23.

'I'll always love Ashley': Cheryl also spoke about her relationship with now ex-husband Ashley

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