Who is Cheryl Cole, the singer and mother of Liam Payne's son?

Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole were once the focus of much media attention in the UK, having met years before they became a couple on the set of The X Factor. Though their relationship ended in 2018, it remains one of the most memorable chapters of Payne's life.

The 31-year-old singer, known worldwide for his time in One Direction, tragically passed away after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Payne had been visiting the city while on holiday with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, and had recently reconnected with his former bandmate, Niall Horan, who was performing there.

Although Payne and Cole went their separate ways, they remained committed to co-parenting their seven-year-old son, Bear. Their romance was Payne's most high-profile relationship, and looking back, it's clear why it drew so much public interest.

The two first crossed paths in 2008, when Payne auditioned for The X Factor at the age of 14. Cheryl, who was then a judge on the show, had already made a name for herself as a singer and was married to footballer Ashley Cole.

Their connection was rekindled in 2010 when Payne returned to the show and became part of One Direction, the iconic boy band formed by Simon Cowell, which also included Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

However, it wasn't until 2015 that Liam and Cheryl began their romantic relationship, long after their initial encounters on The X Factor.

They kept their budding romance under wraps, with rumors swirling until they made it official in February 2016. At that time, Cheryl was 32, and Liam was 22, and their relationship came on the heels of Cheryl's divorce from her second husband, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

Their relationship took a serious turn when they welcomed their son, Bear, in March 2017. Despite their efforts to make it work, rumors about tensions between them emerged in early 2018 and, by mid-2018, they decided to go their separate ways but committed to raising Bear together.