Cheryl ColeCheryl Cole's had a tough time of it in the past.

So it's no surprise she's developed quite a thick skin.

Still, it's quite a shock to hear the singer and X Factor judge say she only trusts her mum and her dogs.

In a new interview with Elle magazine she said: "I don't trust anybody."

And when she was asked if there was anyone she does trust she answered: "Me Mam. And me Dad. They're me parents.

"But you always hold that 20 per cent back for yourself.

"I think it's key. I think it's key for your own sanity. You've got to protect yourself."

In a separate interview in The Sunday Times over the weekend she said with finality: "I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t trust anybody in my life except my mother and my dogs."

Cheryl's always refused to discus allegations that her husband Ashley Cole cheated on her.

But she seems to have developed a more down-to-earth view on love and marriage of late.

She explained in Elle: "I think marriages are something you have to work at.

"Marriages are not rose-petalled paths that you skip down, they were never intended to be.

"It's not supposed to be easy, it's not supposed to be perfect."

She added: "That's why it's called a fairytale isn't it? It's not real."

Talking about her decision to stand by Ashley after the affair allegations, she said: "I know from a perspective how it looks but it's not like that. And I'm not a stupid girl.

"I'm not one of those girls who can't see things for what they are. I've been out with idiots in the past.

"Ashley's such a nice guy. I still get the butterflies. Even when he rings my phone I get that thing."