We thought there was nothing that Cheryl Cole could do wrong these days. She's won the hearts of the public with her X Factor crying and she's even managed to pull off a semi-live solo performance.

But then government planning inspectors are a different matter. The Girls Aloud singer and hubby Ashley Cole had applied for permission to build an underground swimming pool and gym at her Surrey mansion.

Planning bods, though, deemed the work "not essential".

"Not essential"... do these council officials know anything about the pressures of celebland?

Apparently not. Even when the Coles asked for special treatment, they wouldn't listen.

The celebrity couple had asked for their fame to be taken into account, since they couldn't use public gyms due to "disturbance and aggravation" by fans, and specifically wanted to "avoid being ogled in their swimming costumes".

Fair enough, you might think. But it's not just that. The couple argued that the underground gym was necessary so that aircraft couldn't take snaps of the pair during "intimate episodes".

Now if that doesn't have the paps taking to their helicopters, we don't know what will.

The Coles are now drawing up new plans involving mirrored glass.

She may be just a Geordie lass, but Cheryl has certainly made it onto the reality TV rich list...