Cheryl said her ex Liam Payne was a "great dad" to their son Bear in an interview given before his tragic death.
The One Direction singer tragically died aged just 31 last month after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Cheryl praised his parenting skills in a 2019 interview that has resurfaced after the singer's passing.
The Girls Aloud singer said goodbye to Liam at his funeral in the Home Counties on Wednesday (November 20), where she was supported by her bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. The service was also attended by Liam's bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.
READ MORE: Liam Payne funeral updates as stars gather including One Direction bandmates
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Before he died, Cheryl spoke fondly about her relationship with Liam and how much he loved their young son. Despite their split in 2018, the Fight For This Love hitmaker described him as a "great dad."
"Liam is a great dad. He's much softer than me," she told The Telegraph. She also admitted she was the "strict" parent, while Liam was more lenient with Bear, who she said is well-behaved.
She added: "I'm the strict one; Liam isn't. I'll be the one saying, 'Just one square of chocolate,' but Bear is so good. If I get cross with him he puts his little hands on my face and looks into my eyes to see if I'm deadly serious or a tiny bit cross, and it melts my heart," she recalled.
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Cheryl and Liam's relationship ended a year after Bear was born. In the interview, Cheryl, who divorced twice before getting with Liam, hinted the breakup wasn't solely her decision.
"Who says it was me?", Cheryl said in response to a question about who ended the relationship. She kept details vague, but insisted they were determined to co-parent peacefully.
Cheryl said of their split: "If that means there's no screaming and shouting, and you both still manage to get on because you have a baby, then yes." She added, "When you have a baby, you are not consumed with just thinking about yourself. It's your responsibility to keep things settled and happy, so you make the best of everything. And we have."
Cheryl also said motherhood has completely transformed her life. She said: "Everything changed for me from the moment Bear was born. My old brain came out of my head, and all my worries, anxieties, and feelings of emptiness went, and a new brain replaced it," she said.
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