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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lucy Domachowski

Inside Cheryl Fergison's marriage to 'toyboy' Moroccan hubby - laughter and gift ban

EastEnders star Cheryl Fergison is best known for playing hapless Heather Trott on the BBC One soap.

She found a place in viewers' hearts as unlucky-in-love Heather, the big-hearted George Michael obsessive.

But the much-loved actress has been enjoying a quiet life of romance since her character was killed off in 2012.

The actress divorced Afghanistan-born Jamshed in 2008 after they had their son Alex.

Then in 2011, she ­married Moroccan toyboy Yassine el Jamouni, who she met on the internet.

Yas, as she affectionately calls him, is 21 years her junior and the couple are currently planning celebrations for their 11 year anniversary - after proving critics wrong.

Cheryl, 56, fell for her second husband online in 2010 and travelled to his hometown of Agadir, Morocco, and had married him by June 2011.

Their union is full of romance and sweet gestures as hubby Yas, 37, is always surprising her.

"He'll do romantic gestures but in his own time," she explained to the Mirror.

"He'll never be told to do something. So when he does do something it really comes from the heart.

"One year he was working backstage at my panto. The male lead told him it's tradition to buy me flowers for opening night. The night comes, and there's no flowers.

Cheryl and her son Alex from her first marriage (Instagram)

“Yas tells him: 'Nobody tells me when I buy my wife flowers.' Three weeks into the run, I get this giant bouquet. Yas says: 'See, everyone's flowers have died, but you have fresh ones.'”

Yas is very thoughtful with his gifting and often has heartfelt presents made for his wife.

Cheryl said: "He also has things made for me. They may be the smallest of gestures, but I know it's a gesture from him and that's all that matters.

“I took a photo of 'our beach' in Morocco and he had it secretly mounted and framed and hung in his parents' house for when we stay there."

They have moved near the beach in Lancashire's picturesque Lytham St Anne's, where her hopeless romantic husband keeps her guessing.

Cheryl and partner Yassine el Jamouni will celebrate their 11th anniversary soon (JK Press)
Cheryl and Yas have moved near the beach in Lancashire's picturesque Lytham St Anne's, where her hopeless romantic husband keeps her guessing (Getty Images)

The couple love to travel and make memories and take regular trips to see his parents in Agadir. He also takes the odd solo trip, like now for Ramadan.

"It's healthy to have the lives that we have. He's not by my side everywhere I go," said the 2012 Celebrity Big Brother star. "It works for us. I am me, Yas is Yas. Alex is Alex and we are a family."

And it’s the memories that mean the most to the loved-up duo and Cheryl is adamant she doesn’t do gifts.

"I don’t believe in Valentine's Day. And I'm totally not a designer girl. Things can go up in flames. Memories can't," she said.

She had won our hearts as unlucky-in-love Heather Trott, the big-hearted George Michael obsessive (BBC)

"So my family go places, we do things together, we laugh and cry. I don't want gifts for my birthday. I want them to spend the money on us doing things together so we can sit round with a cup of tea one day and go 'Do you remember when you...?'"

Cruel rumours once labelled her beloved Yas a “goatherd” and insisted he was a gold-digger after their whirlwind internet romance.

"My son Alex asked his Alexa: 'Tell me a fact about Cheryl Fergison'," Cheryl told the Mirror.

"And Alexa goes: 'Cheryl Fergison is married to a goatherd from Morocco.' Why's that the first fact that comes up? And it's wrong!

The couple love to travel and make memories and take regular trips to see his parents in Agadir (mirror.co.uk)

"We don't have any goats. We've never had any goats near us! But that's the first thing people say. I find it really difficult to pin down why - There's racism, sexism, ageism - all the isms are there when people talk about our relationship."

Cheryl is adamant her union is as genuine as they come and has long stopped caring what the haters think about her love life.

"The world has become so cynical. People think it's got to be a con, it's got to be a problem. But I say, 'It hasn't got to be anything. Just stop it!'"

Cheryl is adamant her union is as genuine as they come and has long stopped caring what the haters think about her love life (cherylfergison1/Instagram)
It’s the memories that mean the most to the loved-up duo and Cheryl is adamant she doesn’t do gifts (Getty Images)

"It seems to be quite cool for the men, like Mick Jagger, to date younger," said Cheryl.

"And it seems okay for them to have someone else two years later. But people don't give any kudos to a woman dating someone younger, even though we've been together 11 years.

"Well we don't care. It really is absolutely water off a duck's back to us now. I just feel sorry for them, that they need to criticise our life."

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