Cheryl and Liam Payne naming for their son Bear sparked a lot of intrigue from fans.
The pair announced they’d welcomed a little boy in March 2017, after Cheryl and Liam had been dating for a year. Bear had been growing in popularity, with celebrities including Kate Winslet and Alicia Silverstone opting for the sweet name, which can also be a nickname for the names Theodore and Edward, as it is associated with Teddy. There’s also the explorer Bear Grylls, who may have played a part in making the quirky name more widely known, reports the Mirror.
However, despite the name’s celebrity links, Cheryl had a completely different reason for her choice, which she previously explained on RuPaul’s What’s The Tee podcast.
Cheryl admitted in 2019 that she didn’t immediately settle on a name, with reports only emerging five weeks after he was born as to what she’d picked.
The Girls Aloud star said: “When I was in the hospital, he used to make these noises. We had specialists coming in to see what was going on, he was breathing like – quite cute but nothing worrisome. It was just him. The midwife used to come in and say: ‘How’s the little bear?’ I didn’t have the name prior…”
Cheryl added: “I couldn’t get the nickname out of my mind. We toyed with others but I didn’t want him to be the third and such and such in his class. I wanted him to have a unique name.”
Cheryl announced Bear to the world four days after he was born, on Mother’s Day, saying: “Although he still doesn’t have a name he is already stealing hearts. We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever.”
Liam also shared his pride and joy at Cheryl and the new addition to his family, saying: “My close friends and family know there are very few times when I’m left speechless… wow!
“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.
“We haven’t named him yet but he’s already capturing hearts including mine. I feel very blessed.”
The couple split in July 2018, but remained close to co-parent Bear. Speaking to Ant Middleton on Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking, Liam said: “They’re so important to me – Cheryl as well. She’s one of the most, if not the most, important people in my life.
“Even though we’re not together, Cheryl’s always there for me. I’m lucky I have someone who understands what I’m going through. The one thing I was missing as a man in the relationship I had, was a level understanding about what she was feeling about stuff.”
The probe into Liam’s death is ongoing, following his tragic fall from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony on Wednesday.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond.Sign up to our daily newsletter.