Cheryl Cole's had an amazing year, so it's no wonder you chose her as your favourite British female of 2008. Now the Girls Aloud star and X Factor judge has got 2009 off to a great start with her appearance on the cover of Vogue UK. My girl FabUK wants to know what you think of the cover: do you love it or hate it? In the revealing interview with the magazine, Cheryl chats about Ashley, depression, her conviction for assault, her body image, and Simon Cowell. Here are the highlights:

• On Ashley's infidelity: "It was horrendous... Look, Ashley's young, and he's got a young mentality for his age anyway. He’s learning. He has a beautiful soul, he’s a really nice guy, and I’m not stupid, you know — I'm really not. I know what I'm doing. I’ve had enough knocks to know what the circumstances are, you know, and I'm happy. If other people aren't, that’s their problem."
• On Ashley's habit of double-booking: "He'll agree to go to dinner with me, then someone will call and ask him to do a charity event on the same night — and he'll say to them, 'I'm there'. Then he'll be too afraid to tell me until it's time to go. He does make life difficult for himself, but — annoying as it is — I suppose it's quite sweet in a man. And quite rare, too."
• On her body image: "In the first year of Girls Aloud, I went up to a 29in waist. I remember crying because I was 9½st when I'm only 5ft 3in. Jennifer Aniston was doing the Atkins diet at the time and I thought I'd give it a try. I remember I ate the same thing — chicken in cream sauce with a couple of carrots — every night for weeks. I felt just horrible, but I was on this mission."

To find out what Cheryl had to say about depression, her conviction for assault, and Simon Cowell, just read more.

• On depression: "I do worry about things, I'm probably going to end up dying with worry. I was clinically depressed once after a bad relationship. We have it in the family."
• On her conviction for assault after punching a nightclub toilet attendant: "That's what we were taught on the estate — you have to defend yourself. That's what I was doing."
• On Simon Cowell asking her to join The X Factor: "I didn't feel ready, but he kept texting me and in the end I gave in. Simon is the most charismatic man I've ever met — it's like he's trancing you or something. It's actually quite scary."

It's great that Cheryl and Ashley have been able to move on from their problems, and that Cheryl's career is going from strength to strength. You can read the full interview in the February issue of Vogue UK, out on Thursday.

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