Before jetting off to LA last month, Cheryl Cole is believed to have invited her new boyfriend Derek Hough to move into her Surrey mansion.

Just days after being released from hospital, where she was treated for malaria, the X Factor judge is thought to have met with her estranged husband Ashley Cole as he moved his belongings out and informed him that Derek would be moving his stuff in.

A source told Grazia magazine:

“Cheryl is finally moving on and decided it was time Ashley came to collect his last few bits and pieces from the house. After everything she’s been through, she’s in no mood for recriminations, so they actually had a very relaxed chat when Ashley dropped round. He was very sad because, as he pointed out, it was the end of an era, but he’s accepted that his time is up and Derek is the new force in Cheryl’s life.”

The insider continued: “Even so, it came as a surprise that she moved Derek in so fast – people have been joking that she should have revolving doors installed. Life-threatening illnesses have a funny way of concentrating the mind, though, and Cheryl doesn’t care what others think any more.

“Derek has been an amazing support for her through the heartbreak of splitting with Ashley and then her illness. These days he’s almost as important in her life as her mum – and that’s saying something – so she simply doesn’t want to be without him.”