Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole were once one of the most talked about couples in the UK showbiz world before their split in 2018.
Aged 31, the One Direction singer died after falling from his balcony in Argentina sparking tributes from fans and celebrities.
The singing superstar was staying at CasaSur Palmero Hotel and it was in Argentina he recently reunited with former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan who was performing out there. He had been on holiday with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Initially police in Buenos Aires were called to reports “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”, BBC reported.
While Payne and Cole had split, they remained amicable and shared their seven-year-old son Bear together. It was Payne’s most high-profile relationship. We take a look back at their key moments.
Liam and Cheryl’s first meeting
Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was just 14 years old and Cheryl was a judge on the reality series. Their paths crossed again when the singer returned to The X Factor to audition for a second time.
While he auditioned solo, Simon Cowell suggested that four singers come together to make One Direction. Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik made history as One Direction, one of the biggest boybands in the world.
His high-profile and headline-grabbing romance with Cheryl wouldn’t start until much later in 2015.
Red carpet debut
The couple told the world about their romance with a starry red carpet appearance in The 69th Annual Cannes Film Festival, France in May 2016. They joined the stars at the party for the Chopard Trophy Ceremony.
At the time, Cole was aged 32 while Payne was 22 years old. They had begun dating in secret in December 2015 but the news of their romance broke in February, hitting headlines all over the world.
Their romance come after Cole had split from her husband Jean Bernard.
Liam Payne’s Bear is born
Just a year into their romance, the couple welcomed their son Bear in March 2017.
Payne announced the news on Instagram. He wrote at the time: “I’m incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world, it’s a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far. I’m completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she’s really made my dreams come true.”
He added: “We haven’t named him yet but he’s already capturing hearts including mine. I feel very blessed.” Soon his son would get the name Bear. The One Direction star thanked all of his fans for their support on social media.
Cole also posted about their son Bear’s birth, revealing that he had been born 7 lbs., 9 oz.
Looking back at the major milestone later on, Payne had said he always wanted to be a young dad. “I always wanted to be a young dad, but I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place,” he told PEOPLE in 2018.
Cheryl and Liam’s split
News of Cheryl and Liam’s relationship was on the rocks hit headlines in February 2018. However, the couple famously put on a united front at the BRIT Awards. They smiled, laughed and shared sweet kisses on the red carpet with the world watching on.
Only months later in July the exes announced they would be breaking up, much to the disappointment of fans everywhere. They said in a statement: “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.”
Co-parenting son Bear
Since 2018, Cole and Payne had been co-parenting their son Bear. The very famous parents decided to keep their son out of the spotlight as much as possible, with only glimpses of him shared on social media with fans.
Over the years, they have both spoken about their amicable co-parenting relationship. Back in 2019, Cole told The Telegraph: “I’m the strict one; Liam isn’t. I’ll be the one saying, ‘Just one square of chocolate,’ but Bear is so good. If I get cross with him he puts his little hands on my face and looks into my eyes to see if I’m deadly serious or a tiny bit cross, and it melts my heart.”
She added: “Liam is much softer than me. But it is what it is, and I’m OK about it. When you have a baby, you are not consumed with just thinking about yourself. It’s your responsibility to keep things settled and happy, so you make the best of everything. And we have.”
Payne is survived by his seven-year-old son and the mother of his child.
