As Liam Payne’s family prepare for their first Christmas without the widely beloved One Direction star, the Mirror takes a look at the sweet way he and Cheryl made sure to make to festive season special for their young son Bear

Even though Liam Payne and Cheryl separated while son Bear was still a baby, they made an effort to still co-parent as a team – and this extended to the festive season.

The One Direction star, who tragically died last month at the age of just 31, previously spoke of his joy at celebrating Christmas with the now seven-year-old Bear, especially once the youngster was old enough to ‘get’ what was going on.

And he and Cheryl, who parted ways amicably in 2018, did their absolute best to make Christmas a special time of year for their little boy, complete with heartfelt family traditions.

Doting dad Liam loved spending Christmas with son Bear ( 
Image:
ITV)
Opening up during a 2019 episode of This Morning, back when Bear was only two and a half years old, Liam revealed his plans to join Cheryl and their son for a Christmas meal. Liam shared: “I’m going to go down and see Bear, maybe cook a Christmas dinner and just hang out with family. Yeah, we’re going to go down and cook some food and hang out.”

Offering a sweet insight into his life as a young dad, Liam continued: “I think it’s the first time he really gets Christmas now. I want to see if he actually gets unwrapping presents this year though, because otherwise, it’ll just be Cheryl by the tree again.

“I can really remember it from last year, she wrapped them all up and then unwrapped them and I just sat there going, ‘Right, what is this?””

The two singers were dedicated co-parents and never had a bad word to say about each other ( 
Image:
cherylofficial/Instagram)

Even after ending their relationship, Cheryl, 41, and Liam never had a bad word to say about each other, and regularly praised each other’s parenting skills. The former couple broke up shortly after Bear’s first birthday but maintained an amicable co-parenting relationship – even living close to each other to make things easier. Speaking on Logan Paul’s podcast Impaulsive, Liam opened up about their positive arrangement, explaining: “I get to take my son to school one or two times a week and it’s the best thing.

“The relationship we have now as friends has only grown more. We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he’s [Bear’s] taken care of. He is all she cares about and I couldn’t ask for more. They live like three minutes from my house. I always glue myself to where he is. My life now is his.”

In a heartbreaking statement shared after Liam’s death, Cheryl reflected on Bear facing ‘the reality of never seeing his father again’. She wrote: “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 seven-year-old son.

“A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again. What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.”

Liam died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in the Argentinian city of Buenos Aires. His body will reportedly be flown back to the UK this week, with his funeral due to take place in the coming days.