Liam Payne and Cheryl - did they secretly wed? Moment he calls her his wife in interview

Liam Payne appeared to suggest he and ex Cheryl Tweedy had tied the knot in a resurfaced interview shortly after their son Bear was born

Liam Payne could have been married to Cheryl Tweedy.

The late One Direction star tragically died last week at the age of just 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. The singer was in the Argentinian capital to watch his former bandmate Niall Horan perform on his solo tour.

He leaves behind his seven-year-old son Bear, who he shares with ex Cheryl. Though the pair are not thought to have been romantically involved for a number of years, in a resurfaced clip filmed shortly after Bear was born in 2017, Liam appears to call Cheryl his wife.

In the interview with US radio station SiriusXM, a then 23-year-old Liam confessed his love for American fast food chain In-N-Out Burger. Asked if that was what had prompted his move to LA, Liam joked: "Yeah, exactly! I left my wife and child at home and I was straight out to In-N-Out burger. I’m just kidding."

It comes after Simon Cowell's brother, Tony, claimed that Liam "never stopped loving" Cheryl despite the former couple parting ways in July 2018. Tony, who was reportedly friends with the pop icon, told Closer magazine: "I feel for Cheryl, as I know Liam never stopped loving her, and Bear. It's going to be so difficult for her. I can't imagine her pain. Louis Walsh is devastated too. He told me, 'Liam had this star quality about him. I will miss him'."

The Mirror has approached Cheryl's reps for further comment on this story.

Girls Aloud singer Cheryl first met Liam when she was a judge on The X Factor - and Liam, then 14, was auditioning as a solo singer, with him memorably giving her a cheeky wink during the performance. At the time Cheryl was married to footballer Ashley Cole and was 24.

However, years later, when Cheryl was 32 and Liam was 22, they started dating as One Direction took the world by storm. Even after they split, Liam continued to publicly praise Cheryl calling her the "best mum" and saying her and Bear were the most important people in his life.

In a documentary titled called Liam Payne: Straight Talking, he shared: "She's one of the most, if not the most, important people in my life. I'm lucky I have someone who understands what I'm going through."

Cheryl has also spoken lovingly about Liam and said he was the only man who hadn't cheated on her. She told Times that once One Direction broke up, Liam wished to "settle down and have a family". The pair went on to welcome son Bear, but their relationship wasn't to last.

She said Liam struggled to switch from pop star to dad as his career continued to soar. But despite their split, the couple remained on amicable terms, with Cheryl previously saying there was "no animosity" between them.

Since Bear was born, both his parents have been careful to keep him out of the spotlight. And Cheryl told Vogue magazine she will never show her son's face as she wants him to enjoy a "normal childhood".

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