Cheryl Cole sends friendly and supportive tweet to Nadine Coyle

Despite ongoing rumours of a rift between Cheryl Cole and Nadine Coyle, the Geordie star has publicly sent her support to her bandmate via Twitter.

On hearing that a close friend of Nadine's had sadly passed away, Cheryl, 28, sent her supposed rival a kind tweet.

She wrote: '@NadineCoyleNow Nadine. I just want you to know I am thinking of you at this sad and tragic time. I'm so sorry to hear of your lost. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends. God bless you all. All my love Cheryl xx.' (sic)

It's widely thought that the pair have lost touch since Nadine moved to the US several years ago, while the other members of Girls Aloud have remained as close as ever.

In November, Nadine was quoted as telling Heat magazine that she doesn't consider her former bandmates as her friends.

She said: 'They're not my friends. I don't speak to them or socialise with them.

‘I have my own friends that I've grown up with and the girls are very much my colleagues. I wouldn't socialise with them outside of work.’