Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell prove they've got the wealth factor

While she battles to sort out her personal problems, Cheryl Cole can at least take heart that in terms of her career earnings, things have never looked better.

The Geordie beauty has seen her personal fortune increase by a whopping 150 per cent in the past year – swelled by her £1.2 million X Factor contract, her number one album Three Words and a series of lucrative ad deals.

Her wealth now rests at a healthy £10 million, up from £4 million last year, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

She now sits as the fourth top earner in the list of musicians under thirty, trailing Charlotte Church, Katherine Jenkins and Leona Lewis. The three ladies each have a personal wealth of £11 million.

Cheryl's X Factor colleague Simon Cowell has also faired well – with his fortune rocketing by £45 million in a single year.

The massive increase is partly due to him winning back the rights to his shows, including Britain's Got Talent and the X Factor, which used to belong to Sony. And there's also the TV deals and revenue from his recording artists and label Syco.

The huge increase has resulted in him jumping 40 places in the Rich List – and has now become the 398th wealthiest man in Britain.

Also seeing an increase in their coffers are the Beckhams, who are now £20 million better off, with a fortune of £145 million. This has something to do with the success of Victoria's line of dresses, which have been a big hit both with celebs and non famous customers.

The Sunday paper's Rich List profiles the 1,000 richest people in the UK and Ireland, based on identifiable wealth such as land, property and company shares. It excludes bank accounts.