CHERYL and son Bear are preparing for their first Christmas without Liam Payne.
The One Direction singer died aged 31 in October after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
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Former X Factor judge and Girls Aloud member Cheryl, 41, and Liam dated between 2016 and 2018.
But despite separating months after Bear, now seven, was born, they remained close for his sake.
Liam led a jet-setting lifestyle as he worked to carve out a solo career, meaning he couldn’t always be with Bear.
However, he reportedly always made sure he was home in the UK on Christmas Day to visit his son at Cheryl’s Buckinghamshire home.
A source close to the Paynes told Daily Mail‘s consultant showbiz editor Katie Hind: “This was the time when Liam would skip over to Cheryl’s and despite them not being together, they would give Bear the most special of days.”
Ms Hind went on to say, Liam and Bear would “rip presents open, before enjoying a festive dinner and braving the cold to play with the singer’s giant toy dinosaurs that he kept in his garden”.
Following Liam’s death, Cheryl “has done her utmost” to fill the void left in Bear’s life, Ms Hind continues.
She said the grieving mum has “pulled out every stop” to ensure Bear remembers his late dad and the “many happy times they had”.
The source added: “She has been careful not to spoil Bear, given he is the son of two wealthy people, but this year is going to be tough and everyone wants to see a smile on Bear’s face.”
Bear stands to inherit Liam’s £30million fortune made during his boyband days.
It’s understood Liam’s parents Karen and Geoff, as well as his two sisters, Ruth and Nicola, and their kids will visit Bear on the 25th.
Cheryl’s mum Joan, who lives in Newcastle, is also due to travel down to see her daughter and grandson for the big day.
And at some stage, Bear will see his mum’s best friend and bandmate Kimberley Walsh, and her kids Bobby, seven, Cole, five, and Nate, three.
Inside Liam Payne and Cheryl’s romance
By Joanne Kavanagh, Showbiz Reporter
It was a romance that caused a media storm.
One Direction hunk Liam Payne was only 14 when he met former X Factor judge Cheryl during the show in 2008.
But it wasn’t until 2016 – when the Girls Aloud singer was divorcing her second husband – that the pair got together despite their ten-year age gap.
The couple made their relationship official in May of that year when they appeared at Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Gala in Paris.
In 2017, Liam paid a sweet tribute to his girlfriend by getting a tattoo of her eye on his arm.
Cheryl was pregnant at the time and gave birth to a boy on March 22, 2017.
She posted a picture on Instagram of Liam cradling their 7lb 9oz baby and captioned: “On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy looking like a dream.”
One pal told The Sun: “Liam didn’t leave Cheryl’s side throughout the birth, and like her, he is besotted with their new son and can’t wait to take him home.
“This is the perfect Mother’s Day for Cheryl.”
The Sun revealed in May 2017 that the couple named their son Bear.
They decided on the unusual name after spending a week getting to know him.
In February 2018, The Sun broke the news that Liam’s constant travelling to promote his solo career had placed a huge strain on the relationship, and the pair were ready to split.
That same month, Cheryl said “none of it matters” as she shrugged off questions about her crumbling romance with Liam during a BBC Breakfast interview.
They then put on a united front together at the Brit Awards where they smiled on the red carpet and Cheryl joked about the couple’s ‘safe word’.
However, by July 2018, Cheryl and Liam made the decision to split.
A pal told The Sun: “Cheryl and Liam worked really hard on their relationship – they had troubles earlier this year and were able to get through them.
“But they’re in different stages of their lives and, after a lot of careful thought, came to a decision that it’s best for everyone if they do go their separate ways.”
Liam and Cheryl released a statement confirming their break-up which read: “We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make.
“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.”
However, one person who won’t be joining the uniting clans is Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
The US influencer, 25, had been dating Liam for two years when he died but is not thought to have ever met Bear.
Earlier this month, Kate paid tribute to the 1D star and shared some unseen photos of him on TikTok.
In the caption she wrote, “I love you,” against the backdrop of the song, Fade Into You, by Mazzy Star.
Just before his untimely death, they had travelled to Argentina to watch Liam’s former bandmate Niall Horan in concert there.
Kate had returned home early after feeling homesick, a few days before he plunged to his death in Buenos Aires.
FUNERAL
Liam’s funeral was held in November in his hometown of Amersham, and saw his family and friends, including his former bandmates, in attendance.
A friend said: “The service was beautiful but for everyone inside the church, the loss of Liam is still unfathomable.”
On what has been dubbed the hardest day of her life, Cheryl was supported by bandmates Kimberley and Nicola Roberts.
Last month, Argentine prosecutors charged three suspects with the crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death and supplying and facilitating the use of narcotics.
The autopsy found that he’d died from external bleeding and multiple injuries following his fall from the third floor balcony of the CasaSur hotel in the smart neighbourhood of Palermo.
The toxicological exams revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine and prescribed antidepressant’ in his body at the time of death.
It comes as Liam’s pal Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores declined to testify and will submit a written statement to the investigating judge.
He has denied claims he abandoned Liam before he fell from the third floor balcony.
Businessman Nores told a documentary that Liam was “in good spirits and perfectly balanced” on the day he died.
Two other suspects summoned by investigating judge Laura Bruniard have also refused to talk.
Liam Payne’s sad death
On October 16, 2024, Liam Payne sadly died, leaving family, friends and fans devastated.
Here we take you through the biggest stories to unfold since his tragic passing:
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