The sky is the limit for Cheryl Cole after she was voted the nation’s favourite fantasy companion on a long-haul flight.

The Girls Aloud star picked up more than a third of the votes (37 per cent) with Keira Knightley, Kate Winslet and Emma Watson all tied in second place.

Other nominees included Cat Deeley, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sienna Miller and Helen Mirren.

The top three favourite men were Oscar-winner Colin Firth followed by David Beckham and Orlando Bloom. Around 2,000 people took part in the poll carried out for Air New Zealand which asked people to nominate a celebrity to share a trans-Atlantic flight with.

Its UK general manager Chris Myers said: “Cheryl Cole has again cemented herself as the nation’s sweetheart, being chosen as the British celebrity that most Brits like to cuddle up with on a flight to Los Angeles.”