Top 10 celebrity love rats

Ashley Cole

When mega-millionaire England footballer Ashley married reality show pop star Cheryl Tweedy, it seemed like a match made in Heat magazine heaven.

And it was, because it wasn't long before they had sleazy tales of Cole's alleged infidelity to write about.

A tabloid newspaper reported claims by a blonde hairdresser that she had enjoyed a post-nightclub dalliance with Ashley.

There followed a seemingly daily flow of tabloid rumours and gossip about the alleged affair but the pair remain an item.

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Eddie Murphy

A few eyebrows were raised when it was revealed Hollywood actor Eddie was in a relationship with former Spice Girl Mel B.

But those of us with an unhealthy appetite for celebrity gossip were soon to have a whole lot more to chew on as, shortly after the pair split up, it was revealed that Mel was pregnant.

Not only that but Eddie was disputing that he was the father.

Four months after the birth of Angel Iris Eddie finally acknowledged paternity but, according to reports, refuses to see his daughter.

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Hugh Grant

Back in the early nineties Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley were similar to the Beckhams - just ever so slightly posher, with less fake tan and fewer tattoos.

However, the picture of middle-class romantic bliss was shattered when, in 1995, Hugh pulled over on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in order to receive a little 'pick me up' from prostitute Divine Brown.

The sorry scene was interrupted by a police officer and Hugh's mug shot was beamed around the globe alongside headlines such as 'How could Hugh!' and 'Kick him in the Hurleys!'

Unsurprisingly, Liz and Hugh went their separate ways soon afterwards.

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Grant Bovey

When Bovey's affair with former TV presenter Anthea Turner was exposed in 1998, there followed a particularly salacious tabloid frenzy.

Turner had been married to Radio 1 DJ Peter Powell, who later became her agent and was credited with moulding much of her career.

Bovey, meanwhile, left his wife of six years, Della, and their three children.

The subsequent media furore featured a number of bizarre incidents as Della launched herself into the spotlight with a public campaign to win Bovey back - often turning up at the same events as the couple.

Bovey and Turner fell further out of favour when claims emerged their wedding photos were issued as part of a sponsorship deal with a chocolate manufacturer.

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Lembit Opik

When Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik was engaged to weather girl Sian Lloyd it was widely accepted that, in the looks department at least, the member for Montgomeryshire was punching well above his weight.

'They've clearly got a lot in common and he must be terribly funny,' we all thought.

But in 2006, when Lembit announced he had split from Ms Lloyd to shack up with one of the Cheeky Girls, we were all thinking something very different.

Alas, in 2008 Opik and, err, Ms Cheeky split.

Lloyd, meanwhile, has since become engaged to millionaire motor-racing entrepreneur Jonathan Ashman. Funny how things work out eh Lembit?

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James Hewitt

We've all heard the sly jokes about Prince Harry having ginger hair but it was no laughing matter for the hoardes of Lady Diana fans when Gulf War veteran James Hewitt kissed and told about his affair with the late Princess of Wales.

Indeed, his decision to go public and attempt to sell personal letters that had been exchanged between the pair, not to mention a raft of other alleged revelations, led to Hewitt being branded the 'Royal Love Rat'.

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Jude Law

Baby-faced Jude took his first steps into love rat territory when a tabloid carried reports of him playing away while married to the mother of his kids, Sadie Frost.

Following their divorce, Jude got engaged to actress Sienna Miller but, once again, he fell foul of those pesky tabloid reporters as his affair with his children's nanny was exposed.

He was recently quoted as saying: 'I'm not happy I hurt people, but I'm kind of happy it was on such a public level - like washing your laundry in public.

'In a weird way, that's kind of wonderful. I was an idiot. I behaved badly. I made mistakes. Who hasn't?'

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MC Harvey

The rapper's marriage to singer Alesha Dixon appeared to be so solid until it was revealed he had been enjoying some extra-curricular activity with reality show pop star Javine Hylton.

Following two days of 'crisis talks' he left Alesha to move in permanently with Javine, who later became pregnant.

There followed a number of tabloid stories that emphatically failed to paint Harvey in anything but a negative light.

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