Cheryl Tweedy, the singer and television presenter, is facing legal action from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for alleged tax avoidance.
Tweedy, 35, is accused of making use of an artificial employee bonus scheme that allowed her to avoid paying income tax and national insurance. Instead, she paid capital gains tax, which is charged at a lower rate.
Her case is revealed in court documents that name her personal company, CC Entertainments. The initials appear to refer to her former surname from her first marriage to the England footballer Ashley Cole. She reverted to her maiden name after her split from her second husband, the French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.
The tax tribunal documents, obtained by this newspaper, disclose that HMRC tried to make hers the