Liam Payne “never stopped loving” Cheryl, despite their split in July 2018, according to Simon Cowell’s brother. The One Direction star tragically passed away last week after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
An ongoing investigation into the singer’s death has revealed that he died from multiple injuries. Former Girls Aloud star Cheryl first met Liam when she was a judge on the X Factor and he was a 14-year-old contestant, unbeknownst to the fact that they would one day share their seven-year-old son Bear together.
Despite being married to footballer Ashley Cole at the time, Cheryl later started dating Liam as One Direction rose to fame. Unfortunately, they parted ways in July 2018, with Liam admitting in a documentary that he struggled to understand Cheryl’s experiences as a new mother, the Mirror reports.
However, Tony Cowell, who was reportedly close to the pop star, told Closer magazine that Liam “never stopped loving” Cheryl.
He said: “I also feel for Cheryl, as I know Liam never stopped loving her and Bear. It’s going to be so difficult for her. I can’t imagine her pain. Louis Walsh is devastated too. He told me, ‘Liam had this star quality about him. I will miss him’.”
Liam opened up in a documentary about his past relationship with Cheryl, saying: “She is one of the most, if not the most, important people in my life. I’m lucky I have someone who understands what I’m going through”.
Cheryl had previously expressed that Liam was the only man who hadn’t cheated on her and shared with the Times her desire for him to “settle down and have a family” after One Direction split.
She also discussed how Liam found it challenging to transition from pop star to fatherhood amidst his soaring career. Despite their separation, the pair maintained a friendly relationship over the years as they co-parented their son with Cheryl previously stating there’s “no animosity” between them.
Both have been protective over Bear’s privacy, with Cheryl telling British Vogue about her wish for him to have a “normal childhood”. Reflecting on his time with his son, Liam remarked two years ago: “Time with Bear has been really, really great, honestly.
“More than anything I want to say thank you to him and his mum for giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment because I had to.”
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