Speculation about Cher Lloyd’s wedding ring picked up fast after the former The X Factor contestant shared new Instagram photos showing her bare left hand, then gave fans a very direct answer about where the ring had gone.
The 32-year-old singer, best known to many for Swagger Jagger and Want U Back, has been married to hairstylist Craig Monk, 35, since November 2013. The couple married quietly after a fast-moving romance that began when Lloyd visited a hair salon shortly after her time on The X Factor.
What did Cher Lloyd say about her wedding ring?
Lloyd posted an Instagram carousel that immediately drew attention from followers, not least because her wedding ring was missing. One fan asked in the comments: “I have many questions, where is your wedding ring?”
Lloyd replied: “It’s in the [bin emoji].”
Subtle, it was not.
The post also suggested things may not be especially cheerful behind the scenes. Lloyd captioned the carousel “Slide 5 Vibe,” pointing followers to a fifth image of herself as a baby, crying and rubbing her eyes.
The singer has not formally announced a split or divorce. Representatives for Lloyd have been asked for comment.
How long have Cher Lloyd and Craig Monk been married?
Lloyd and Monk married in November 2013, after getting engaged less than a year into their relationship. They share two daughters: Delilah-Rae, seven, and Eliza Violet, two. Monk also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
Lloyd has spoken before about the slightly awkward beginning of their relationship. In a 2014 interview with Metro, she said it was “embarrassing” how they first met.
“I went to a hair salon to get my hair done just after I got off The X Factor,” she said. “I wanted to go for a cigarette, but I couldn’t go out the front because it was swimming with paparazzi.
“He was the only one who could take me out the back. So that’s where I met him.”
Over the years, she has publicly praised Monk. While pregnant with her first child, she told ITV’s Lorraine that he was “lovely” and described them as “a solid team.”
“I’m so lucky. We’re definitely a solid team; we deal with anything that’s thrown at us. We’re so excited to be starting this new journey,” she said at the time.
“This year we’ll be five years married. As soon as I met him, I just knew he was the one straight away.”
The personal loss behind a difficult year
The marriage speculation comes three months after Lloyd announced the death of her father, Darren, in April.
Sharing the news, Lloyd wrote: “Life will never be the same again. I’ve never felt pain like this. My Dad, I love you. Goodnight 10.03.73 – 11.04.26.”
Lloyd had previously told fans in 2020 that her father was “seriously unwell.” During the Covid-19 pandemic, she said she was frightened for him because of existing health conditions, which led to him being hospitalised twice during lockdowns.
At the time, she said waiting to see him again while he recovered was “the hardest thing” about isolation.
“I’m sorry I’ve been quiet on here – I find it difficult to share my personal life at the best of times but I feel I need to let you know what’s going on. My dad has been seriously unwell and is in hospital,” she wrote.
“This has been really difficult on us and my heads all over the place. I wish I could see him and I wish I could be with my family to support them, especially mum.
“We can’t be with dad but I’m so grateful to the doctors and nurses for looking after him. This is such a scary time for everyone. I hope you are keeping safe.”
Is Cher Lloyd planning new music?
Alongside the talk about her relationship, Lloyd also appeared to tease new music.
When one fan commented, “I dreamed that you are releasing new music soon ❤️,” Lloyd answered with a string of watchful-eyes emojis. Another wrote, “Drop some new music tho 👀🥰,” and she replied: “it’s comingggg.”
That lines up with what Lloyd said earlier this year about wanting to return on her own terms. In January, she spoke about having been through a “hard” few years and said she had her “spark back” after rebuilding her confidence following her departure from her previous label.
“I was signed to a label before, and, as lots of people know, a lot comes along with working alongside a major record label,” she said.
“When I left that label, I just needed to refocus and find my confidence again. I feel like I was in a bit of a dark place with that.”
Lloyd said she had spent recent years “figuring out” her sound and found writing again “therapeutic.”
Now working as an independent artist, she added: “Right now, being able to release music on my own terms… it feels so much better.
“Wouldn’t people rather see me for me than see a version that 15 men in suits have decided I should be?”
How Cher Lloyd became a pop name
Lloyd first became known as a teenager on Simon Cowell’s The X Factor in 2010, where she finished in fourth place while mentored by Cheryl.
After signing with Syco, she topped the charts with her debut single and released several high-profile tracks, including “Really Don’t Care” with Demi Lovato and “Oath” with Becky G. She also spent time building her career in the United States, where she won awards and performed live with Taylor Swift.
In recent years, Lloyd has released music more sporadically. Her last album was 2014’s Sorry I’m Late, while her most recent single, “Sweet Devotion” with FUZION, arrived earlier this year.
For now, fans know one thing for sure: the ring is, by Lloyd’s own account, no longer on her hand. Everything else is waiting for either a statement, a song, or possibly both.
