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Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy dated Liam Payne from 2016 until 2018 and the former couple welcomed son Bear, who is now seven-years-old
Cheryl made a heartbreaking and painful decision ahead of Liam Payne’s funeral on Wednesday.
The Girls Aloud singer, 41, joined mourners yesterday, including One Direction members Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, to say a final goodbye to the late singer at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, after he tragically fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16.
Alongside her fellow Girls Aloud bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl joined Liam’s grieving parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, as well as his sisters Ruth and Nicola, at the funeral which she helped put together. Sources say Liam’s family wanted him to have a dignified and “perfect” send-off after he died in “such a horrible way”.
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Wearing a £2,000 velvet-trimmed wool coat by London-based brand Liberowe and keeping her heartbreak hidden behind a pair of designer sunglasses, Cheryl, who friends say is “devastated” by Liam’s death made a heartbreaking final vow to him for the sake of son, Bear.
Cheryl heartbreakingly decided that her son should have involved in the funeral, despite battling whether or not it was the right thing to do for him.
Ultimately, the mum-of-one decided that it was only right that Bear got to say goodbye to his beloved dad Liam alongside the rest of his family and his close friends. Cheryl pain in helping to plan the funeral was evident by the flower arrangements at Liam’s burial.
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Speaking to MailOnline, a friend said Cheryl has promised that their child will never forget his father. Her vow comes as the extent of Bear’s loss was shown yesterday when Liam’s coffin arrived at the Home Counties church in a horse-drawn carriage with two floral tributes placed on top. As well as one which read “son”, there was another heartbreaking tribute from Bear, with the arrangement of white flowers reading “Daddy”.
Friends of the singer told the news outlet that Cheryl is “dreadfully sad” and added: “She has her own grief, but she also has a little boy who won’t see his daddy again, and that is just heartbreaking,” they said.
The Fight For This Love singer shared a tribute to her former partner just days after his death on Instagram. At the time, she told her fans that she had to “face the reality of never seeing his father again”.
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Sharing a precious photo of Liam in bed with their son, Cheryl said: “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.
“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.”
Mourners watched as the singer’s coffin arrived at the church by horse-drawn hearse while the public lined the streets. Among those attending the funeral included Liam’s former One Direction bandmates.
Other numerous celebrities including James Corden, Rochelle and Marvin Humes, Simon Cowell, Robbie Keane, Damian Hurley, and of course, Liam’s girlfriend – Kate Cassidy – were all in attendance.
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Fans around the world held vigils in his memory after his death, and a shrine to him was created in his home city of Wolverhampton, West Midlands.
After the funeral, a GoFundMe page was set up in Liam’s name to “continue Liam’s legacy” by helping to build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, a post-mortem examination report said.