Cheryl reveals she has been undergoing therapy to undo ‘bad thought patterns'

'I would talk to myself so nastily'

(Getty)

Former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl has revealed she has been undergoing cognitive therapy after years of self loathing.

The 35-year-old admitted that before she gave birth to her son Bear in 2017, she didn’t feel content with life and so decided to turn to a therapist for help.

“I went because I felt I owed it to Bear, owed it to myself, never to go back to having that mindset,” Cheryl told Stella magazine.

Speaking of her therapist she said: "I've been going to her for a year now for cognitive therapy, and I'm actively undoing all the bad thought patterns and traps I used to fall into.

“I would talk to myself so nastily: 'You silly cow. You stupid b***h.' No one could make me feel worse about myself than I did, and that was a massive problem.”

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave, the NHS states.

It's most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other mental and physical health problems such as phobias and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The Love Made Me Do It singer revealed that her anxiety subsided as soon as her son was born.

Cheryl welcomed Bear with ex-partner, One Direction’s Liam Payne, in 2017.

“My old brain came out of my head, and all my worries, anxieties and feelings of emptiness went, and a new brain replaced it. I knew the word 'fulfilled' but I’d never known what that felt like,” she explained.

”Money, fame, success should have made me feel that but they never did.

“The moment I held him in my arms I had that feeling: fulfilment. It’s stayed with me. And I’ve changed so much. I really have.“

Cheryl also opened up about her parenting style, revealing that she and Payne are raising Bear together despite separating in June 2018.

“Liam is a great dad. He’s much softer than me. But it is what it is, and I’m OK about it,” she explained.

“It’s your responsibility to keep things settled and happy, so you make the best of everything. And we have."

The singer concluded by revealing that she would like to have more children in the future, and that she would consider “other routes” if she didn’t find “the right man”.

“You don’t necessarily need to be in a relationship. Not everything has to be conventional,” she said.

“You can spend ages looking for the right man, waiting for the perfect time to get pregnant, then the right man might turn out to be the wrong man. There are definitely other routes I would consider."