They think it's all over - and it is as Cheryl Cole gets quickie divorce

THE once fairytale four-year marriage of Cheryl and Ashley Cole ended yesterday in the most mundane fashion.

The undefended "quickie divorce" obtained by the X Factor judge on the grounds of the footballer's unreasonable behaviour took just 80 seconds.

District Judge Christopher Simmonds pronounced the decrees nisi that had been sought by 29 couples in the bland surroundings of the Principal Registry of the High Court's Family Division in London.

The setting for the case of Cole v Cole - or CAC vs AC as it was listed - was a far cry from the country house romance of Sopwell House Hotel in St Albans, Hertfordshire, where they tied the knot in July 2006 with an OK! magazine deal.

The pop star and footballer union soon led to them being compared with the Beckhams but the pair, who met in 2004, separated in February after public allegations about the England and Chelsea defender's infidelity.

Their troubled marriage was the subject of much media attention and Cheryl Cole, pictured right, was spotted on a number of occasions without her wedding ring.

Neither of the celebrity couple were in court for yesterday's hearing which, apart from the judge and a clerk, was only attended by the media.