Cheryl Cole appears to be back in the arms of her ex-husband Ashley as the couple share an intimate moment.

However, all is not as it seems, as the shots are the work of artist Alison Jackson who has become famous for her staged photos of lookalikes.

Her latest work – commissioned by Heat magazine – shows a Cheryl doppelganger with her newly- unveiled lightened bob.

The new blonder hairdo caused a stir when she was seen attending the American Embassy in London last week. The couple divorced last year but are reported to have rekindled their friendship. They are said to have attended a barbecue together at the weekend following Cheryl’s celebrations for her 28th birthday.

The magazine said it had asked Ms Jackson to “capture the moment its readers hoped would never happen – the romantic, secret reunion of Cheryl and Ashley Cole”.

Ms Jackson’s many previous photo stunts have included lookalikes of figures such as Tony and Cherie Blair, David and Victoria Beckham and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Hannah Fernando, Heat’s associate editor, said: “We first revealed back in May that Cheryl and Ashley were getting back together, so after seeing his attendance at her birthday party this weekend we commissioned these pictures from Alison Jackson as a way of celebrating. Kind of...”