Nicola Roberts has confirmed her Girls Aloud bandmate CHERYL COLE is undecided over whether to end her marriage - because she is still trying to "figure things out" with her estranged husband.
The British star, who boasts a successful solo career and a judging role on Simon Cowell's The X Factor, walked out on her partner, soccer ace Ashley Cole, in February (10) after he was accused of cheating on her with a string of women.
Cole has refused to comment on speculation about a possible divorce, and Roberts is adamant her friend is yet to make up her mind whether she wants to reconcile with her husband or end the union officially.
Roberts tells Britain's Grazia magazine, "Right now, she's trying to manage her feelings. Cheryl wants to be in charge of her own life and not listen to anybody else but her heart. Everybody has an opinion about her marriage now and she thinks it's wrong. She doesn't want to make a choice because of others. She even told her mum to back off a bit.
"She wants to figure things out with Ashley. She's the one who has to live with the decision. She is annoyed that everyone is so opinionated around her about her private life and it makes things harder for her."
And Roberts admits Cole has been hiding her true feeling from her friends: "Cheryl has never asked for help or showed me how much she really struggles or how hurt she is. She is going through tough times right now, I know. She has a brave soul and she finds it hard to give up on things she believes in, especially Ashley. He was her life - everything. She's not the type of girl who needs to cry on someone's shoulder. But knowing Cheryl, she will return from it stronger than ever. She is so brave."