London, May 2 (IANS): Cheryl Cole has split from long-term manager Hilary Shaw and asked rapper friend Will.i.am to guide her for future projects.

With her job on the US "X Factor" seemingly confirmed, Cole's decision to part ways with Shaw comes after six years together, with her manager overseeing Cheryl's transformation from girl band member and WAG to X Factor judge and successful solo singer, reports dailymail.co.uk.

'This is all about taking Cheryl's career to a whole new level. Will.i.am believes in her to the degree where he's prepared to stake his reputation on making her a success. He's going to be responsible for her career worldwide. Hilary has been brilliant for Cheryl but the fact is she needed someone who was well-known in America to push things forward," a source told News of the World.

The 27-year-old's choice of Will.i.am came is no surprise as both are friends from the past two years.

The 36-year-old rapper wrote and also performed alongside Cole on her debut solo album "3 Little Words", while she appeared in his video alongside Nicki Minaj for "Check It Out".

However Shaw will continue to run Cole' s new charity foundation and will remain manager of "Girls Aloud", who have been on hiatus since 2009.