CHERYL Cole has secretly spent THREE NIGHTS at her marital home with hunky dancer Derek Hough this week - just 48 hours after filing for divorce from cheating husband Ashley.
Our sensational photos of the two on their way to cosy up inside the Cole mansion will stun England football star Ashley - for Cheryl is giving HIM the £6 million house as part of their settlement.Last night an inside source disclosed: "This is the ultimate act of revenge. It's a devastating blow for Ashley just before the World Cup. Things are heating up between Cheryl and Derek.
He was determined to provide comfort and support to Cheryl after Tuesday's divorce announcement.
As soon as he arrived in Britain after a 12-hour flight he dashed to be by Cheryl's side as she prepared to take to the stage at London's 02 arena on Thursday.
But afterwards, in a shock move and under the cloak of darkness, X Factor judge Cheryl sneaked him through the gates of her marital home in the back seat of her car.
"But that ended just as Cheryl decided to go through with the divorce. She begged Derek to come and he instantly agreed.
"On Thursday they really connected again backstage at the O2 so she asked him to come back to her house." Derek donned a black baseball cap and dark glasses in a bid to remain unnoticed as he sat next to Geordie girl Cheryl in the car. But our photographer captured him gazing lovingly into her eyes as they sped off to her house, with Cheryl happily sipping on a cocktail
Our man said: "They looked completely comfortable together, just like any new couple would. Cheryl was obviously very happy to have him there."
Our earlier source told us: "Derek is the first man to set foot in the Cole house since Cheryl chucked Ashley out. It was a very big decision on her part. But she loves spending time with Derek."
One onlooker said: "As soon as Derek hit the stage the whole intensity of Cheryl's performance changed.
"The dance moves were very intimate. To start with Cheryl writhed her back up against Derek while looking out into the crowd.
"Then she wrapped her legs around him and they were on their knees, staring intently into each other's eyes and only a couple of millimetres between their lips. As Derek walked off stage Cheryl blew him a kiss." Cheryl then skipped the Peas' official after-show party on Friday night - attended by front-man Will.i.am, another close Cheryl confidant and said to be besotted with her - to share even more time, and another night, with Derek back at the house.
The pair arrived home at 11.15 pm on Friday and were still there early this morning.
Friends say Cheryl calls Derek a "sweetheart" who restored her faith in men following the messy marriage split. She first turned to the dancer - who appeared on her Parachute video - in February after Ashley was exposed for cheating on her. Derek stayed in Cheryl's Los Angeles hotel room for eight hours and emerged at 4am holding his pet terrier.
Cheryl is now planning to get together with Derek, who has dated a string of beautiful women in the past, throughout the summer as she begins a nationwide tour for The X Factor auditions. The friend insisted: "This isn't the last you'll see of Derek with Cheryl. He's set to become a very big part of her life."
But Derek's surprise arrival in Britain definitely pits him against 35-year-old Black Eyed Peas superstar Will.i.am, who was instrumental in convincing Cheryl to go through with the divorce, after Ashley's infidelity.
Sources close to the American superstar told the News of the World he has fallen for the Girls Aloud beauty.
An insider said: "Will's the one man who finally told Cheryl exactly what he thought of Ashley, and it wasn't pretty. He gave her the confidence to feel she deserved better and realise there was no reason for her to put up with his bad behaviour any more.
"Cheryl changed during her time with Will. Her spark came back and he's become a very important part of her life. But Will has actually fallen in love with Cheryl. He'd adore her to be his wife. He's been talking of them becoming a music power couple to rival Jay Z and Beyonce."
Bubbly
Meanwhile 29-year-old Ashley, training with the England World Cup squad at Irdning in Austria, has been surprisingly upbeat since the divorce announcement.He had hoped that they would stay together but has accepted recently that there is no way back for their four-year marriage.
A source at the England camp said last night: "At the beginning of the week Ashley was very quiet, keeping himself to himself.
"But after the divorce papers went into the High Court on Tuesday, and it all went public on Wednesday, he was surprisingly positive - back to his usual happy self and really bubbly. It was like a weight had been lifted.
But we can reveal she changed her mind after seeing his reaction to his team Chelsea winning the FA Cup two weeks ago.
As he celebrated on the pitch with the other Chelsea players, Ashley declared: "I'm over the moon. As everyone knows I've not had the greatest of years but this makes up for it."
Last night a pal explained: "When Cheryl saw that she knew the time was right, regardless of the World Cup dates.
"When he said that winning the match made up for his marriage breaking down she realised they were both ready to move on."