Coles could be single by the World Cup

Footballer Ashley Cole could be single again before the World Cup if his pop star wife Cheryl decides to follow their separation with divorce, a leading family lawyer said tonight.

Julian Hawkhead said it should be “relatively painless” if the couple decided to make their split permanent.

Mr Hawkhead, a partner at Stowe Family Law, in North Yorkshire, said: “A case where it’s young people and no children and both with lots of money, it should be an easy divorce.”

He said the couple may have already started negotiating a settlement behind the scenes and could divorce within three or four months if they are both keen to move on quickly.

Mr Hawkhead said the couple’s assets, including their £6m Surrey mansion, could be divided.

“I think Ashley probably earns a bit more than Cheryl so she might want a share of his earnings but she has good earnings in her own right. I think she’ll just want to get on with her life.”

He said the pair could be single again “by the time of the World Cup” in June.

“The impression is they are both keen to get on with it. They are both commercially minded people with strong commercial people in the background advising them.

“A lot of it’s about image. It doesn’t help either of them to have their dirty linen aired in public.

“It helps them both to get this sorted quickly.”