Ashley Cole and will.i.am narrowly avoided coming face-to-face in South Africa earlier this week, a report has claimed.

According to The Sun, the pair missed each other by just ten minutes on Tuesday as they both took a trip to the Pilanesberg National Safari Park.

will.i.am has been repeatedly linked to Ashley's estranged wife Cheryl since the couple split earlier in the year. However, it is thought that the X Factor judge only considers him to be a friend.

Speaking of the safari park near miss, a source said: "Ashley was with the England players and Will had booked a tour as well.

"Will is over there for the World Cup opening ceremony so he has time to explore. He obviously knows Ashley is there but due to his loyalty to Cheryl, he wouldn't want to see him."

Cheryl was named 'Woman Of The Year' at the Glamour Awards earlier this week.

Headshot of Daniel Kilkelly

Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.  
He has interviewed hundreds of soap stars over the years, from Bill Roache to Lacey Turner, and regularly visits the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks for behind-the-scenes trips and press events.  
He has served as an awards judge on numerous occasions for the likes of the BAFTA TV Awards, RTS Programme Awards and British Soap Awards. In 2020, he was Highly Commended for Best Section Editor at the BSME Awards.