A last-ditch attempt by the mother of Ashley Cole to thaw Cheryl Cole’s resolve has failed, the UK Mirror reports.

Cheryl, who has officially separated from the star footballer, would not be moved by the overtures of her mother-in-law Sue.

A source close to Cheryl said: “Sue has been trying to act as intermediary between Cheryl and Ashley, and doing her best to help them patch up their differences. She loves Cheryl and obviously hates seeing her son hurt.”

Ashley was reported last week making desperate phone calls to his wife, who had dumped him in a text message after revelations of his alleged sex-texting surfaced. Initially, Cheryl was unable to take calls – even from her mother-in-law – and was reported starving herself on a diet of peppermint tea.

The source continued: “But they finally spoke and Cheryl made clear there is no going back. The marriage is over and she can’t take him back. They spoke calmly and fondly to one another and there was certainly no screaming or shouting.”