We talk about some of the trendy London folk she has met along the way. With typical northern candour, she doesn't hold back. Peaches Geldof, she declares, is "tort-ally up herself", and Alexa Chung - tainty wrinkle of the nose here - "acted all superior, like" when they were first introduced. Not so, however, Chung's boyfriend, Sheffield-born Arctic Monkey Alex Turner, who covered Girls Alouds' hit single "Love Machine". Cheryl met him by the pool at The Standard in Los Angeles while filming the video for Will.I.Am's single "Heartbreaker", which features Cheryl's vocals. Alex is not her type, not her type at all - just as Russell Brand isn't or, by the way, Simon Cowell - "but when you speak to him [Alex], he has this charisma, this presence, which is really quite attractive. Some people do have that, you know."