Cheryl Cole’s wealth has grown by 150 per cent in the last year.

The ‘Fight for This Love’ singer – who is the face of L’Oreal Elvive hair-care range and Coca Cola Zero – came fourth in the Young Music Millionaires aged 30 and under list with earnings of £10 million.

She was beaten to the top spot by Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins and Leona Lewis, who are all worth £11 million.

Dr Philip Beresford, who compiled the list, claims the statistics prove British women are working harder than ever and no longer need a man to be a success.

He said: “The girls are showing you can make it big if you keep trying. It doesn’t matter where you come from. Drive and determination can get you the Hollywood lifestyle.”

The highest charting male on the list – which is part of the annual Sunday Times Rich List published on Sunday (25.04.10) – was Craig David, worth £8 million, putting him at number seven.

Dr Beresford added: “Britain’s women superstars are showing they have the talent and drive to make it big in their bank balances. And they can do it without the support of overpaid husbands or hangers-on.”

Among the surprise inclusions were Joss Stone, who is worth £4 million more than Lily Allen with £9 million earnings and Katie Melua, who came in one place behind 26-year-old Cheryl raking in £10 million in 2010.

Sunday Times Rich List: Young  aged 30 and under top 15:

=1. Charlotte Church – £11 million

=1. Katherine Jenkins – £11 million

=1. Leona Lewis – £11 million

=4. Cheryl Cole – £10 million

=4. Katie Melua – £10 million

6. Joss Stone – £9 million

7. Craig David – £8 million

8. Natasha Bedingfield – £6 million

=9. Lily Allen – £5 million

=9. Nadine Coyle – £5 million

=9. Sarah Harding – £5 million

=9. Nicola Roberts – £5 million

=9. Kimberley Walsh – £5 million

=9. Jamie Cullum – £5 million

=9. Duffy – £5 million

Source: BANG Showbiz

Sophie Dahl feels “excited” when she speaks about her husband.

The 32-year-old model-turned-author – who married jazz musician Jamie Cullum in January – is still getting used to married life but gets a thrill out of speaking about her spouse.

She said: “My husband is a good cook. I love saying ‘husband’. It’s funny that something so universal should make you so excited to say.”

Sophie – the granddaughter of late children’s writer Roald Dahl – and Jamie tied the knot in a small low-key ceremony and are pleased they kept the ceremony private.

She said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “Making that promise is a sacred thing and not really for anyone else. It’s to be witnessed by your close family and your close friends, and that’s it. It was wonderful and joyful, and that’s all I want to say.

“There is a reason why we didn’t want to have our wedding ‘out there’ as a lot of people do, and I want to remain true to that. I think one has to be allowed to have things that are the property of your own heart and this is one of them.”

Husband Jamie has previously spoken about how he and Sophie have always shunned the showbiz lifestyle.

He said: “I live an extremely unglamorous life. I choose to hang out with my friends who aren’t in that world and I choose to go to concerts and to the pub and play soccer.

“To be honest, I’m a geek and so is Sophie. We’re just two people who met and swiftly fell totally in love. That’s the end of the story.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

Jamie Cullum

Jamie Cullum bonded with Sophie Dahl because they are both “geeks”.

The jazz musician – who married the model earlier this month – insists the couple shun the showbiz lifestyle to pursue less-than-glamorous interests and hate hanging out with other celebrities.

He said: “I live an extremely unglamorous lifestyle. I choose to hang out with my friends who aren’t in that world and I choose to go to concerts and to the pub and play soccer.

“To be honest, I’m a geek and so is Sophie. We’re just two people who met and swiftly fell totally in love. That’s the end of the story.”

Despite his claims, the singer – who is set to release a cover of Rihanna’s hit single ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ – has some famous friends who influence his work.

He explained to The Sun newspaper: “I’ve hung out a lot with guys like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams and it’s another style of music I’m a big fan of.”

Jamie has previously admitted he was amazed when Sophie agreed to date him after they met in 2007.

He said: “We hit it off immediately. But someone like me never entertains the idea of going after someone like her, so I didn’t.

“I couldn’t assume she would be interested in me – but it worked! Lucky old me – it turned out to be much more.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

The ‘Twentysomething’ singer – who is engaged to Sophie Dahl, the author and former model – said he tried to impress her with his knowledge of books when they first met.

He said: “We hit it off immediately. I think we knew emotionally that we would become good friends. We just started talking about books – I was reading David Mitchells ‘Cloud Atlas’ at the time – and certain other stuff that we were into.”

Jamie – who met Sophie at a charity event for the Lavender Trust two-and-a-half years ago – said he never thought the former model would be interested in him.

He told the Observer newspaper: “Someone like me never entertains the idea of going after someone like her, so I didn’t go for it. I couldn’t assume that she would be interested in me… but it worked!

“Lucky old me – it turned out to be much more. I think it was to do with the fact that I always carry a good boy around with me. In my case I was actually reading it, although it’s a good chat-up tip, I think, to always carry a good, thick book.”

Source: BANG Showbiz