Cheryl Cole to sell marital home

Cheryl Cole is selling her £3.5 million marital home.

The 'Parachute' singer will put the house she shared with estranged husband Ashley Cole on the market as soon as her divorce is finalised.

The Girls Aloud star has wanted to quit the sprawling mansion in Surrey, South East England, ever since she separated from Ashley six months ago after allegations he cheated on her with a string of other women surfaced.

She now wants to downsize and find a house in west London so she is closer to the city centre for work commitments.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Cheryl is selling up. She's already looking for a new home, but it will be a lot smaller than what she has now. She doesn't need a huge estate. She wants to be closer to London but stay near to Heathrow Airport to make travelling abroad easier."

The property was bought by Cheryl and Chelsea player Ashley, 29, in October 2007.

The 27-year-old singer's mother Joan lived with the couple in an annexe - and remained there to support her daughter after the couple's break-up.

It also meant she was on hand to nurse Cheryl back to health after she was struck down with malaria in June following a vacation to Tanzania with 'Dancing with the Stars' dancer Derek Hough.

As well as searching for a property in London, Cheryl is also reportedly house-hunting in Hollywood so she has a permanent base in the US for when she launches her career Stateside.

Cheryl - who took five weeks off from all work commitments as she battled malaria - is due to return to her role as a judge on Simon Cowell's UK pop star search show 'The X Factor' this week.