DEVASTATED Cheryl Cole's weight has slumped as she tries to cope with her disintegrating marriage - while living on peppermint tea.

The X Factor judge has barely eaten for three weeks and has lost 5lbs, leaving friends worried for her health.

Cheryl, 26, is holed up at the Surrey home she shared with Ashley, being cared for by her mum Joan.

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But pals say the heartbroken Girls Aloud singer is so upset about her break-up with the soccer star she has no interest in food. A friend said: "Cheryl was really happy with her weight and appearance before Christmas. She had put some weight on and was comfortable. But since the latest storm broke she has lost her appetite completely.

"She has lost at least five pounds, which on her tiny frame is a lot. Last week she channelled all her anger into rehearsing for her Brits appearance and that burned off a lot of calories."

Mint tea ... all Cheryl wants

Cheryl also shed a lot of weight after hairdresser Aimee Walton blew the whistle on a one-night stand with Ashley in December 2007.

The Geordie girl plummeted to 6st in three weeks after she moved out to a rented apartment.

When she escaped on holiday to a Thai island with bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, her ribs were clearly visible.

Nicola, 24, and Kimberley, 28, have been visiting Cheryl at home in Surrey to offer support in her latest crisis.

And another bandmate, Sarah Harding, 28, has sent her a self-help book called Difficult Conversations: How To Discuss What Matters Most.

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Xsposure

A source said: "Team Cheryl is up and running - supporting her every step of the way.

"She needed a shoulder to cry on and the girls were there for her. The group are also trying to organise their diaries to start recording again after Cheryl finishes her solo stint."

Meanwhile, Chelsea and England defender Ashley, 29, looked a broken man at the French clinic where he is having rehab on a broken ankle.

The lonely love rat, who cheated on Cheryl with five women, was seen gazing mournfully out of a window of the centre in Capbreton on France's Atlantic coast.

The Sun told yesterday how he refused to answer when we tracked him down and asked: "How could you?"

The clinic was specially chosen for its remote location so there would be no distractions for Cole.

But doctors at the Centre European Re-education Sportif are said to be worried his emotional state is hampering efforts to get him fit.