Special talents: Sarah Purnell, a mother of one, claims to be able to cure wayward men with her white witch skills
Mother-of-one Sarah Purnell, 23, says she can cast spells to tame her men and even claims to have reunited a friend with her ex-boyfriend simply by taking a lock of his hair.
Before jetting off to South Africa for the World Cup, things between Ashley, 29, and Miss Purnell had apparently been 'heating up', according to one of her friends.
They apparently arranged a special farewell before he left for the tournament, the 23-year-old from Birmingham visited him at his London flat last Tuesday, his neighbours reported.
Then, as she left at approximately 2am, he is alleged to have shouted after her, 'See you later sexy bum!'
As of yet it is unclear whether she has told Ashley of her secret life as a white witch, a female who casts good spells, or whether she used her 'powers' to snare the footballer.
Sarah, from Halesowen, West Midlands, claimed she once plucked a hair from the head of a friend's ex-boyfriend to create a magic potion to reunite them.
In a January interview she explained: 'Over the years, I assisted my friends in fi nding love.
'She’d split with her man a few months ago but still loved him and was desperate to get him back.
'We’d followed him and I’d gone into a bar to steal his hair.
'Back at the house, the girls sat in a circle as I mixed up his locks with rose petals and peppermint essence. The spell was cast.
Big earner: Sarah Purnell can pick up around £600 a night lapdancing at the Spearmint Rhino club
'I might not look like a witch – I don’t have a black cat, big nose or warts. And I drive a car instead of using a broomstick.'
Sarah, who used to earn £600 a night as a lapdancer, explained how she ground the hair and ingredients into a paste and after casting her spell her friend got back together with the ex.
Sarah added: 'I'd always been interested in magic and spells. Growing up, I was enthralled by the good witches in fairytales and, when older, I bought spell books, learned chants.
'But I can be found winding round another pole sometimes. I work part-time in a lap-dancing club.'
No inhibitions: Sarah Purnell met Cole in a decadent nightclub in Notting Hill when she caught his eye in a lurid outfit
And Purnell's friend says she is 'absolutely over he moon' about her romance with the footballer.
The friend is alleged to have told the News of The World: 'She spent the first night at his and it was all very romantic. Ashley was a perfect gentleman and treated her like a princess.
They added: 'She hasn't got a bad word to say about him and has defended him when people have tried to have a go about Cheryl or the end of his marriage.'
Purnell met Cole in May at Swanky Sundays - a decandent fancy-dress models party held at the Supper Club in Notting Hill, west London.
Wearing a skin-tight pink and black dress, the dancer - who has earned up to £600 a night working in London's Spearmint Rhino - caught Ashley's eye.
But initially, Purnell was dismissive of him and the group of Chelsea reserves he was partying with.
'Sarah is not the type to get star-struck and when her mate first pointed out Ashley Cole being there she hardly seemed to care at all,' her friend said.
Incidentally, the hedonistic club night was same place where Ashley was alleged to have chatted up a pretty blonde in the toilets.
Living the dream: England star Ashley Cole shares a joke with Rio Ferdinand in training before the captain became injured last week
In May it was claimed that he tried it on with Lucy Phillips in a toilet cubicle.
She told The Mirror: 'I was walking past the guys’ toilets when I saw a big group of blokes gathered round. I looked in and saw Ashley Cole holding court, and I went in.'
Lucy claimed that Cole tried to kiss her but she 'laughed it off'and didn't even lock lips with the star.
Not to be deterred, Lucy alleged that Ashley gave it one more shot later in the evening.
She said: 'A few minutes after I saw him in the toilets I was with my best friend and we walked past Ashley and his mates.
'They saw us and called us over. I sat on the arm of Ashley’s chair and we chatted. After about 10 minutes we decided to leave and enjoy the rest of our night.'
She added: 'I definitely didn’t kiss him – I would remember if I had. I’m not like that at all.'
The ex-wife: Cheryl Cole on stage yesterdazay during the Capital FM Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium
The friend says Sarah was cool with Ashley at first and that it was he who had to do the running, with the former lapdancer unimpressed by his wealth.
Since meeting, Ashley has been quite open about the reason behind his attraction - the dancer looks like his ex-wife.
'He even told her she looks the spitting image of Cheryl but Sarah is definitely her own person,' the friend said. 'She's no wannabe.'
According to her Twitter page, she is frequently compared to the Girls Aloud star.
And Ashley is not the only celebrity she has become friends with. She was also tweeting Calum Best in March saying: 'Hurry home you!!!xx'
However, in the end she did not attend the trials, despite being an aspiring singer.
As well as dancing, Purnell has modelled for glossy magazines and was interviewed by Love It! magazine earlier this year about casting love spells.
The dancer describes herself as 'part white witch' and said: 'Whether I’m in my witchy role or dancing sexily, I’m a real charmer.'
Perhaps she has cast a spell over Ashley - because according to her friend, the footballer is smitten.
'Ever since the first night Ashley's been asking her to visit him but she lives a three-hour drive away and is determined to keep him at a distance while they find out more about each other.
'It's hard because he's going to be away for quite a while.
'Sarah knows how much the World Cup means to Ashley and would never do anything to jeopardise his chances of playing a starring role for England in South Africa.'
According to the friend, he wants to whisk her away somewhere special when he returns from South Africa.
'They've mentioned going away on a romantic holiday to get out of the spotlight because Ashley has had a really hard year.
'He is facing the prospect of this divorce and Sarah knows he is still hurting about that.'
If Purnell is being cautious, perhaps dancer Derek Hough should follow her lead.
But according to his stepfather Aaron Nelson he is 'head over heels in love' with 26-year-old Cheryl.
The close friend of the star has been a dependable presence throughout her difficult split with Ashley.
And now divorce proceedings have began, he is apparently desperate to be the new man in Cheryl's life
Nelson claimed in the Sunday Mirror: 'For Derek, this is true love. There is no doubt about it He is totally in love with her.
'And it's easy to see why, she's one hell of a girl. Very talented and incredibly beautiful.'
'She is the girl of his dreams and he is desperate to be with her. He would follow her to the ends of the earth.'
'He wants to be in a stable relationship. And I think he might have finally found the right girl.'