Cheryl has described the death of her former partner Liam Payne as an ‘earth-shattering event’ in a post on Instagram.
The singer died aged 31 after falling off a balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
The Girls Aloud singer posted a photo of Payne with their son Bear, seven, on Instagram, alongside a broken-heart emoji. In the black and white image, they are laying together in a bed.
In a second slide, Cheryl shared a message asking everyone to remember One Direction star Payne was a human being.
‘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,’ Cheryl, 41, began.
‘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.’
She added that her spirit was being troubled by the thought of not being able to protect Bear in the future from seeing some reports.
‘Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourselves if you’d like your own family or child 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. Thank you, Cheryl.’
Payne and Cheryl first met when she was a judge on The X Factor and Liam auditioned in 2008.
They began dating in 2016, with Payne once revealing Simon Cowell, who also paid tribute to Payne this evening, had some input.
‘I went to Simon’s house, and made a joke about how hot Cheryl was. Simon was like, “I know who’s going to be the next Mrs Payne!’ he said on the Straight Talking with Ant Middleton podcast.
‘Then I was in a bar and Niall came in and told me that Cheryl liked me. I was like “Cheryl? Cheryl?” Niall was in Simon’s dressing room, Simon said my name, she went red and left.’
The couple welcomed Bear the following year, but split in 2018.
Payne has always praised Cheryl for being an incredible mother. ‘She is the best mum in the world, I couldn’t ask for someone better,’ he said.
While Cheryl said there was ‘no animosity whatsover’ after they split.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘We are learning all the time. And it’s good, it’s healthy.
‘We’re just like any other couple that have gone through this, but we have a few more eyes watching us.’