During his hectic days in the world’s biggest boyband, One Direction star Liam Payne did his best to get home to then-girlfriend Cheryl and their young son Bear – but his efforts weren’t enough to keep them together
Liam Payne’s family pay tribute after his death
Liam Payne was once in one of the most famous relationships, but despite his best efforts, he was sadly unable to salvage it once things got tough.
Thrown into the limelight at a very young age, the former One Direction star, who has passed away at the age of 31, became astronomically famous while still in his teens, and it wasn’t long before fans across the world were screaming his name. However, when he was a young 24-year-old touring stadiums and releasing hit after hit, there was only one woman he wanted to come home to – fellow pop legend Cheryl.
Ten years his senior, Cheryl, now 41, was one of The X Factor judges who catapulted Liam and his One Direction bandmates to mega-stardom. And when news of their romance broke in 2016, it caused a frenzy of excitement among fans.
In 2017, Liam and Cheryl welcomed their son Bear, with both expressing pure joy at their baby’s arrival. Despite his hectic touring schedule, dedicated dad Liam did everything he could to get home quickly to Cheryl and Bear between gigs – but it unfortunately just wasn’t enough.
The Mail Online reports that Cheryl became increasingly unhappy with their parenting set-up, with Liam jetting all across the globe while she stayed home to care for Bear. A source told the publication: “Liam was flying around the world promoting his music. He was in the zone Cheryl had been in ten years before with Girls Aloud. It led to some furious rows.
“He began using private jets so he could get home quicker, but it wasn’t enough. Cheryl wanted a proper family unit and Liam just could not give it to her. Things got really bad and tempestuous. Liam was a young lad in his early 20s and he just wasn’t ready for it all.”
The couple split shortly after Bear’s first birthday but were thankfully able to maintain an amicable co-parenting relationship – even managing to live nearby to each other to make things easier. Speaking on Logan Paul’s podcast Impaulsive, Liam opened up about their positive co-parenting arrangement, sharing: “I get to take my son to school one or two times a week and it’s the best thing.
“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 2022 interview with People magazine, Liam also spoke about how he made sure to priorise quality time with Bear, explaining: “I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes. And I make sure when I see him, he has 100 per cent of my time . I make sure that I’m not on my phone or d****** around somewhere else.”
He added: “So, I like to give him those moments and it’s important, he needs that in his life, he needs his dad in his life, and I’m happy he looks at me like a superhero, and I’m hoping to keep it that way.”
Liam died on Wednesday, October 16 after plunging from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina. His body was found in an internal patio of the Casa Sur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires shortly after 5pm local time. It’s believed Liam fell from a height of approximately 14 metres and died instantly, having suffered “very serious injuries incompatible with life”.
The circumstances leading to Liam’s death are still being investigated.
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