After their split, Liam Payne and Cheryl made a conscious effort to co-parent their son Bear, ensuring he had a special Christmas despite their separation. Before his tragic passing last month at 31, the One Direction star expressed his delight in celebrating the festive season with Bear, now seven.
In a 2019 interview on This Morning, Liam shared his plans to spend Christmas with Cheryl and Bear, who was two and a half at the time. He said: "I'm going to go down and see Bear, maybe cook a Christmas dinner and just hang out with family. Yeah, we're going to go down and cook some food and hang out."
Liam eagerly anticipated seeing Bear understand the concept of Christmas, saying: "I think it's the first time he really gets Christmas now. I want to see if he actually gets unwrapping presents this year though, because otherwise, it'll just be Cheryl by the tree again."
He fondly recalled the previous year's Christmas, chuckling: "I can really remember it from last year, she wrapped them all up and then unwrapped them and I just sat there going, 'Right, what is this?'". Despite parting ways, Cheryl, 41, and Liam always spoke highly of each other, often commending each other's parenting abilities.
The pair split up shortly after Bear's first birthday but managed to maintain a friendly co-parenting relationship - even choosing to live near each other for convenience. During an appearance on Logan Paul's podcast Impaulsive, Liam shed light on their harmonious arrangement, stating: "I get to take my son to school one or two times a week and it's the best thing," reports the Mirror.
"The relationship we have now as friends has only grown more. We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he's [Bear's] taken care of. He is all she cares about and I couldn't ask for more. They live like three minutes from my house. I always glue myself to where he is. My life now is his."
In a heart-wrenching statement released following Liam's death, Cheryl reflected on the harsh reality that Bear would 'never see his father again'.
She penned: "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 seven-year-old son.
"A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again. 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."
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Liam passed away on October 16 following a tragic fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His remains are expected to be repatriated to the UK this week, with his funeral scheduled for the near future.
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