Cheryl Cole's heartbreaking one-word admission about Liam Payne after breakup

tragically died aged 31, after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The former star was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy at the time of his death.

Six years ago, the History hitmaker was in a relationship with Girls Aloud star , 41, who he first met on the ITV show, X Factor. Following Cheryl's divorce from ex-husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, the singers became a couple in 2016.

The following year, the duo welcomed their first child, Bear, now seven.

During a candid interview in 2018, Cheryl opened up about her journey into motherhood and addressed whether Liam had ever felt "excluded" after she gave birth amid suggestions that new mothers are often more focused on their newborns than their partners.

"Maybe," she replied.

She says he had wanted to be a father from age 16. He was 23 on Bear's arrival in 2017.

Cheryl spoke to The Sunday Times Style magazine, saying, "So he wanted to settle down and have a family and not do the solo thing. Then we encouraged him to do that. And then it didn't work out."

It has since been reported Liam was "keen for a fresh start" with ex-partner Cheryl prior to his tragic death.

A source previously told how Little Things hitmaker Liam was building things back up for his son and said to OK! Magazine: "We don't see a lot of Bear on Liam's social media but I think he wants to prove to Cheryl that he's getting his life together."

During a podcast interview in June 2022, Liam described Bear as "a lovely, lovely boy" and praised his ex-girlfriend.

He said: "She is the best mum in the world, I couldn't ask for someone better."

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2019, the Girls Aloud singer spoke about the success of co-parenting with Liam and that she couldn't be happier about the impact it was having on Bear.

"There's no animosity whatsoever. 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...just a few," said Cheryl.

At the time of reporting, Cheryl had not commented on Liam's death.