Cheryl Cole has reportedly told pals that she’s prepared to take back cheating husband Ashley – but she’s not gonna make it easy on him.

Friends say the heartbroken Girls Aloud singer – who fled to Thailand with bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh to contemplate the future of her marriage – is holding out so that Ashley begs her to come back.

One tells The Mirror: "She is humiliated and needs Ashley to learn to miss her.

"She'll go back, but won't rush. Not until he's learned his lesson."

As for Cheryl’s Thailand trip, another pal adds: "She needed this time away to get her strength back to face the world. Ashley is still her husband and they love each other. They were planning a future. It's too much just to throw it all away.

"She knows Ashley loves her, but needs to be sure this won't happen again."

Concerned pals are said to be worrried for the singer's health, amid claims that she's stopped eating since the infidelity allegations broke.