Although she’s often made headlines because of speculation that she might be a bit too thin for her own good, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole seems to have taken her weight obsession one step further. The star has given in to the latest celebrity fitness fad by splashing £36,000 on a “wind tunnel” exercise bike that is said to suck fat away and make cellulite disappear almost completely, as the British publication the Daily Mail informs.

Apparently, Cheryl made the decision of spending a small fortune on the contraption after seeing photos of X Factor rival judge Dannii Minogue on the beach. Cole fears that, no matter how slim she is, when the next season of the televised competition kicks off in August, she will look fat when next to Dannii, whose slender and fit physique has impressed Cheryl after seeing photos of her in a swimsuit. Consequently, she too has given in to the latest weight-loss fad by buying a Hypoxi Trainer S120 bike, an unnamed source reveals for the tab.

“Cheryl knows she’s not fat but she’s paranoid about sitting next to Dannii on TV. She’s seen photos of Dannii looking very slender and it’s made her even more nervous. She thinks this will give her the quick fix she needs before X Factor starts in August.” the spy explains. With a 6-week course of three weekly sessions said to decrease lower body fat more effectively than a 6-month strenuous workout routine, Cheryl believes she will look her best by August, when the show starts again.

The “wind tunnel” exercise bike, while a very expensive device, is reported to return the most amazing results in terms of toning the lower body and eliminating unnecessary fat. The contraption works by creating a pressurized environment inside a portable chamber, as the slimmer cycles inside it – while wearing a vacuum suit. Because of the pressure, the body is forced to put in more effort than when cycling under normal conditions, the manufacturers explain.

“The low pressure transports the blood into the fatty tissue of legs and buttocks, enriching the blood with fatty acids. The release pressure phase then allows the fat enriched blood to be transported away from the problem zone into the blood stream. It’s like exercising at an altitude of 2000 meters, but without the strain on your heart and lungs.” the manufacturers of the Hypoxi Trainer S120 say for the Mail.