Ashley Cole has reportedly blamed his mother-in-law Joan Callaghan for his and Cheryl’s marriage problems.

Cheryl insisted that her mum move into their mansion after Ashley was first caught cheating, but Ashley is said to have felt constrained ever since.

A source told Heat magazine: “He blames a lot of their problems on Joan being there all the time and killing the passion.

“It’s no secret that Cheryl’s mum living with them didn’t go down very well with Ashley and he often felt as though he was living at her house rather than the other way around.”

They added: “He would moan to Cheryl that he couldn’t do what he wanted to in his own house and that Joan was cramping his style, but Cheryl was insistent that her mum be there – she wanted her there.

“He tried telling her that he wasn’t happy with the living arrangements, and it was the source of a few rows. He felt they couldn’t be spontaneous with their mother-in-law there all the time. It was suffocating.”