Cheryl Cole, Liam Payne’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of their 7-year-old son, described her grief over the late singer’s death as “indescribably painful.”
Payne, a singer and former member of One Direction, died Oct. 16 after falling from a balcony on the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
The former couple welcomed their son Bear in March 2017 and had dated for two years before they called it quits in July 2018.
Read on to learn about Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole's past relationship.
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2008: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole meet for the first time
In 2008, Payne and Cole met when Payne auditioned for "The X Factor" at 14 years old. At the time, Cole was acting as a judge on the program alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.
For his audition, Payne sang a rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra. Though Cowell wasn't completely sold by Payne's performance, Cole said she adored the young singer and voted him through to the next round.
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"I like you. I think you're really cute," she told him.
Later in a separate interview on the show, Payne said he liked Cole's compliment that she gave him.
"Cheryl thought that I was cute, which was a great compliment," he said.
While he was later cut from the competition by Powell, Payne returned to the singing competition in 2010 and said he understood why he was sent home.
"I was really young and I wasn't ready and now I'm 16 and I'm back to give it another shot," he said on stage before singing "Cry Me a River" by Michael Bublé.
During that season, Cole was eventually grouped together with fellow “X Factor” contestants Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, and formed One Direction.
2016: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole start dating
In 2016, Cole split from her second husband, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini. As the pair called it quits, rumors started to swirl that Payne and Cole were seeing each other.
The couple made their red carpet debut in May 2016 while they attended the Global Gift Gala in Paris.
At the event, Cole was honored with the Global Gift Philanthropist Award.
"So proud of her tonight such a special award #GlobalGiftGala," Payne captioned a photo of them together at the gala on X.
So proud of her tonight 😘😘such a special award #GlobalGiftGala pic.twitter.com/lZFr2SAzdP
— Liam (@LiamPayne) May 9, 2016
2017: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole welcome a child together
In March 2017, Payne and Cole announced on Instagram that they had welcomed their son, Bear, according to People.
While appearing on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in September 2017, Payne explained why they chose the name Bear.
The singer said as a newborn, his son made a rumbling noise in his sleep, which led to him being assessed by specialists. Finally, one doctor said, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.”
“So he just became Bear,” Payne told host James Corden.
In a July 2018 interview with People, Payne shared that he likes to play his new music for Bear.
“For me, I love making great music for my fans. But when you make something that your son loves, it’s the best thing ever," he shared.
2018: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole break up
After two years of dating, Payne announced in a July 2018 post on X that he and Cole had broken up.
"Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make," Payne wrote. "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."
Cole also echoed a similar statement on the platform.
"We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make," she wrote. "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.
Though the pair had gone their separate ways, they seemed to maintain a good co-parenting relationship. In 2020, Payne gave Cole a shoutout on Bear's third birthday and he thanked the "Fight for This Love" singer for showing their son "all the love in the world."
2024: Cheryl Cole speaks out after Liam Payne's death
On Oct. 18, two days after Payne's death was confirmed, Cole issued a statement to her followers on Instagram, asking for grace and courtesy on behalf of their son.
The post featured a black-and-white photograph of Payne curled up in bed, gazing at Bear, then an infant, as he laid peacefully beside him.
“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,” her post begins.
“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 7 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," she continued. "It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future. I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces. Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them.”
“Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last,” she ended the letter writing, “Thank you, Cheryl.”
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