Liam Payne and Cheryl’s relationship – meeting at 14 to ‘hidden pregnancy’

Liam Payne’s death is continuing to cause shockwaves across the world as his fans mourn.

However, one star who will be particularly affected by the singer’s shock passing is former partner, Cheryl. The Fight For This Love star had a strong connection with her former lover, as well as welcoming their child into the world together seven years ago.

Since his passing, fans have started digging through Liam’s past and have since done a deep dive into his relationship with the Girls Aloud icon. What they found, however, is that their relationship runs much deeper than many would have believed.

READ MORE: One Direction tributes to Liam Payne in full – vow to son, goodbye hug and regret

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So, as the world continues to mourn his tragic death, Daily Star looks at Liam Payne’s relationship to Cheryl.

First encounter

Liam and Cheryl first locked eyes on each other back in 2008, when a then-14-year-old Liam walked into the judges’ audition room on The X Factor. Singing an acapella rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon”, it was clear that Liam had charisma, something that appealed to Cheryl.

Then aged 24, pop icon Cheryl had been on the judging panel alongside music mogul Simon Cowell, singer Dannii Minogue and tycoon Louis Walsh. Cheryl was bowled over by Liam’s cheeky personality, even smirking when he gave her a cheeky wink during his audition.

He would address the rather awkward situation in an interview with Esquire magazine in 2020, saying: “Let’s address the elephant in the room; obviously, the future mother of my son is sitting in that chair. This is now an episode of How I Met Your Mother, so that’s enough of that I think.”

Blossoming relationships

Eight years on from their first meeting, Cheryl would end her marriage to her second husband, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini. Liam, who had recently emerged from the split from One Direction, was pursuing his solo music career, and rumours soon began to swirl that the pair had gotten into a relationship.

After months of speculation, the couple debuted publicly in May of 2016 at the Global Gift Gala. The couple’s romance blossomed further, and that year, baby rumours were sparked when Cheryl was believed to be hiding a baby bump in public appearances.

Though Cheryl and Liam never publicly acknowledged the claims, their shared son, Bear, was born in March of 2017. Explaining the bizarre name for their baby, Liam said: “There’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.”

Calling it quits

But despite the romance the pair enjoyed, after two years of dating, Liam and Cheryl announced they would be breaking up in July of 2018. In a statement, the couple confirmed that they needed to end things, but would continue to look after their child.

“Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make,” Liam explained.

“We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”

While the pair continued their own projects and lives separately, the couple kept up a good relationship as Bear’s parents, with Liam being able to see his child as much as three times a week. In a now-chilling remark in an interview in 2021, Liam explained he wanted to be in Bear’s life, and that his son looked up to him “like a superhero”.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk