(June 10, 1976 - 1997) (divorced)
Cheryl took part in several West End theatre shows, during one of which she met entertainer Michael Barrymore in 1974. They married two years later.
Wife and manager
Cheryl and Michael married in 1976, although not until after he had paid off his mother, who threatened to reveal a previous 18-month-long gay love affair. She later claimed, without contradiction from her estranged husband, that they had had a "full" marriage, including connubial relations. With Cheryl as Michael's manager and the mastermind behind his meteoric rise, he won a 1979 edition of New Faces. He later became a panelist on Blankety Blank and the warm-up man for Larry Grayson on the Generation Game.
From there Michael rose to fame presenting ITV entertainment show Strike It Lucky from 1986, followed by Kids Say the Funniest Things and My Kind of Music. He was voted the UK's favourite TV star several times, and became one of the highest-paid stars on TV. Cheryl later revealed that Michael had problems with alcohol, drugs, gambling and depression. As a result of her husband's physical assault on her at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, California, she was placed by British police on the "at risk" register.
Split with Michael Barrymore
At the height of his popularity, Michael Barrymore suffered increasing alcohol problems. He claimed that he had wanted to seek help, but that his wife told him: "No, you’re not (alcoholic). Don’t be stupid."
In November 1995, Michael attended the National Television Awards, where, clearly drunk, he made a rambling, incoherent speech. At an after-show party on a live late night radio show, he publicly declared he was gay and "no longer wanted to live a lie", following which he and Cheryl split up. She later claimed that Michael took the step and didn't tell her because of his talks with Princess Diana.
After several aborted reunions, they divorced in 1997 and Cheryl went on to publish the autobiography Catch a Falling Star, which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple became estranged, and she ceased acting on her husband's behalf as either agent or manager.