Cheryl Cole and Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini marry in private wedding ceremony nearly eclipsed by World Cup final

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Louise Thomas

Editor

Cheryl Cole has secretly married her French boyfriend Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini after just three months.

In a well-timed announcement that meant the singer’s wedding was nearly completely eclipsed by the World Cup final, the X Factor presenter shared a picture of her engagement and wedding ring on her Instagram page yesterday.

The two were married in a low-key ceremony on the island of Mustique on 7 July, reportedly attended by only four guests. It would seem Simon Cowell’s invite must have got lost in the post.

Fernandez-Versini, 33, is an entrepreneur and runs a pop-up restaurant business and reportedly divides him time between St Barts and the French Riviera.

In 2002, he was included in a New York Times feature, headlined A New Eurofestation – about a group of “hard partying jet-setters” known to New Yorkers as ‘Eurotrash’. He studied business administration at New York University and, according to the New York Times, took a gap year “just to party”. His parents footed the bill, naturally.

As a 21-year-old he had a penchant for fashion and every autumn would travel to Monaco to buy his new wardrobe, before heading to New York and Paris Fashion Week. In other observations, he has a touch of the Richard Bacon about him.

Cole divorced first husband Ashley Cole in 2010, after a four-year marriage.