Cheryl Cole has been lined up to perform her new single ‘Parachute’ on tonight’s Sport relief show, however in a bid to stop gossip spreading about her and American dancer Derek Hough, she has replaced him in her on stage routine.

After the X Factor judge split from her husband last month, tabloid newspapers reported that Derek took Cheryl to dinner and “comforted” her for seven hours at her hotel room in Los Angeles. Although he performed and choreographed the dance routine for her ‘Parachute’ video, Cheryl has reportedly declined to invite him to perform with her tonight.

A source told The Daily Star: “Derek and Cheryl are great friends and he is always going to be there for her.

“But what she needs now is to get herself back on track and not be distracted by reports she’s seeing someone else.”