Cheryl has candidly spoken about how experiencing profound grief reshaped her outlook on life as she faced two devastating losses.
She was overwhelmed with sorrow after her former partner, Liam Payne, tragically lost his life at the age of 31, falling from a third-floor balcony at his hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16.
This heartache wasn’t the first for Cheryl; she had previously grieved the loss of Sarah Harding, her Girls Aloud bandmate, who sadly passed away at 39 years old in September 2021 following a battle with breast cancer.
Cheryl has told how this deep sorrow profoundly changed her way of living. She reflected: “A lot of conversations we had before she left really sparked a different perspective for me, and I’ll carry that. She wasn’t ready to leave and I think, ‘well I’m still here’, I’ve got the gift of life to still live, and I’ll do it with her in mind. It does shift a lot of things in your own heart.”
In her conversation with MailOnline, Cheryl added: “With the loss and our age we just appreciate and love each other so much more. We always have loved each other, obviously. But it’s just different, there’s a different depth to it all now.”
Cheryl paid a heartfelt Instagram tribute to Liam by posting a touching photograph of him with their baby son after hearing the news of his passing. Since then, the singer has taken a step back from social media, reports the Mirror.
Cheryl and Liam’s first encounter dates back to 2008 during Liam’s X Factor audition, where Cheryl was then a judge; he was 14 while she was 24 at the time.
Following Simon Cowell’s criticism for not being ‘fun’ enough, Cheryl reassured Liam saying: “I like you, I think you’re really cute,” adding further encouragement with, “You’ve got charisma, you gave us that little cheeky wink! ” Two years later, Liam came back to The X Factor and impressed the judges, prompting Cheryl to commend him: “You’ve definitely got it. Whatever it is, you’ve got it. And your voice is really powerful.”
The successful audition led to Liam joining the nascent One Direction, and he was placed in Simon’s category.
It was in 2016 that Cheryl initiated divorce proceedings from her French spouse, citing irreconcilable differences, although the formal decree nisi wasn’t settled until October—yet she had already begun to adopt a single lifestyle earlier in the year.
When Liam initially revealed his new hand tattoo, it didn’t seem to have much significance. However, the tattoo gradually became recognisable as a nod to Cheryl’s rose tattoo on her backside.
As rumours began circulating about him and Cheryl growing close following their individual break-ups, Liam posted an image of a rose on Instagram in February, with the romantic caption: “Happy Valentine’s Day baby.”
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The couple later went public with their relationship at the Global Gift Gala in Cannes in May 2016, but not everyone was convinced it was genuine. Then, two days after the event, Liam made it official by updating his Instagram profile photo to one of the pair together.
In 2017, the couple welcomed their son Bear into the world before they parted ways amicably months later, committing to co-parent up until his tragic passing.
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