Cher Lloyd has once again drawn attention to her ring-free left hand in a recent social media post, days after stating her wedding ring was "in the bin." The 32-year-old former X Factor contestant confirmed earlier this week that she and her husband, Craig Monk, have separated after 13 years of marriage. This announcement follows the death of her father just three months prior.
Following the news of the marriage breakdown, a source reportedly close to Monk told the Daily Mail that Lloyd should "stop airing her dirty laundry in public" and engage in direct communication with her estranged spouse. In response, Lloyd seemingly made a pointed gesture by posting a photograph that prominently featured her hand without its wedding ring. Her small pink heart tattoo on her ring finger, however, remained visible. A red heart tattoo on her left wrist bears Craig's name.
Lloyd captioned the Friday post with a simple cloud emoji. In the comments section, fans reacted to the display, with one user writing, "Any man that has ever lost you is a fool" and another asking, "No ring on finger? How you doing?"
Speculation about the state of Lloyd's marriage first surfaced when she shared a picture of her ring-free hand on Instagram. When a fan inquired about her wedding ring, she responded that it was "in the bin."
A source connected to Craig Monk reportedly urged the singer to have an "adult conversation" with her husband rather than discuss their marital issues online. This source claimed that Monk found Lloyd's public comments "disrespectful," stating, "She's obviously spent the last few days photographing her hand. It seems to be for attention. To say that she's thrown her wedding ring in the bin is extremely disrespectful. Once something like that goes online, it's always online. I think it's quite obvious that she's not acting in a very mature manner. Maybe have an adult conversation instead of going straight onto Instagram."
Lloyd and Monk married in November 2013 and share two daughters: Delilah-Rae, born in May 2018, and Eliza Violet, born in September 2023. The source added that Monk is "okay" and prioritizing his daughters, who are "literally all that is at the forefront of his mind."
Amid the reported split, Lloyd alluded to moving "onto greater things" on Tuesday. She also appeared to 'like' a number of social media posts referencing intuition, crying, and lost love. One such post featured a video of someone dancing to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" with the caption, "Me after crying for two hours." Another post showed text overlaying an image of Jessica Alba, reading: "Source? My gut feeling. My intuition. Super symbolic dream. The vibe I got."
Lloyd also shared a poignant video with a voiceover stating, "I'll buy you whatever you want," followed by the response, "No you can't." The accompanying caption read: "What happened to old-school love? When trust came naturally, loyalty meant something, and people weren't afraid to genuinely care for each other."
Lloyd and Monk became engaged less than a year after meeting, following her rise to fame on The X Factor. In an October 2018 appearance on the ITV chat show Loose Women, Lloyd described her relationship as a "fairy tale," despite acknowledging they had experienced "ups and downs."
The speculation regarding the marriage separation comes three months after Lloyd announced the death of her father, Darren, on April 11, 2026. In an emotional statement, she wrote, "Life will never be the same again. I've never felt pain like this. My Dad, I love you. Goodnight. 10.03.73 - 11.04.26."
Lloyd shared a text message exchange with her father, in which she expressed her love, and he replied, "I know you do. And I love you more and more each day see you tomorrow." Her father had reportedly struggled with health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring hospitalization three times in 2020. Lloyd was unable to visit him during that period due to strict restrictions.