Cheryl Cole's mother loves her new boyfriend.

The 'Promise This' hitmaker has embarked on a romance with American dancer Tre Holloway and he has been given the Seal of approval by her mum Joan Callaghan, who had a strained relationship with her daughter's ex-husband Ashley Cole.

A source said: ''Cheryl has described Tre as the polar opposite to Ashley. He's intelligent, caring and understanding.

''Many people think Tre's like a blend of Cheryl's exes, but he's a well brought up middle-class boy with nice manners, just like Cheryl's previous boyfriend Derek Hough. Yet he's also got an edgy vibe to him, like Ashley. Importantly, Cheryl's mum loves him.''

Cheryl is said to be keen to build a relationship with Tre's mother Shirley who admitted recently she is worried her son will get hurt in his new romance.

The source added to Reveal magazine: ''Cheryl's already called Tre's mum for a chat and plans to visit her next time she's in the US.

''Cheryl also wants to nurture Tre's career ambitions. He'd love to become a choreographer and she's already talking about getting him to choreograph some of her upcoming music videos.''