While Cheryl Cole rarely speaks about her son Bear, one admission is more heartbreaking than ever following the sad death of his dad, Liam Payne.
Cheryl and Liam first met when he auditioned in 2008, and 14-year-old fresh-faced Liam made an impact on 25-year-old Cheryl at the time who called him "cute". But several years down the line, their relationship blossomed, with the pair shocking fans when they went official with their relationship in 2016.
Just a year later, their beloved son Bear was born. They were determined to keep their son out of the limelight, rarely speaking publicly about him or sharing photos - even after they had split up just 14 months after the birth.
However, in an interview in 2019, Cheryl spoke fondly of Liam and Bear's father-son bond, giving an insight into their parenting routines. Cheryl described herself as the "strict" one, while she said Liam was "much softer than me", giving a glimpse of their co-parenting situation.
Even once they had split, it appeared their relationship was amicable, with Liam living 'three minutes' away from Cheryl's home, and still saw his son frequently. In a podcast interview in June 2022, Liam had revealed the birth of their son had put their romance "under strain".
Describing Bear as 'a lovely, lovely boy', Liam praised his ex-partner and said: "She is the best mum in the world, I couldn't ask for someone better." The doting dad had said a few months after Bear's birth he had "always wanted to be a young dad" and said Cheryl had "really made my dreams come true" with their son and she'd left him "completely in awe" as reported by Daily Mail.
After news of Liam's death was confirmed, Cheryl broke her silence with a heartbreaking statement. She said: "As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being. Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again."
The singer went on to add: "What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future. I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces.
"Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them. Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last. Thank you, Cheryl."
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English (US) ·