Their romantic relationship ended in 2016, but Cheryl and Liam Payne were bonded for life through their son Bear and the singer was said to be 'devastated' as she attended the One Direction star's funeral yestersday.
It's understood that Cheryl, who was supported by her Girls Alound bandmates Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts, is 'dreadfully sad' over Liam's death and is grappling with her own grief, while being strong for her seven-year-old son.
Looking to the future, she will be doing everything she can to ensure Bear never forget's his father, but yesterday the focus was firmly on giving Liam a loving and dignified send off.
It's believed that Cheryl, who was seen leaving the service with Liam's parents, helped his family to plan the funeral, and this was reflected in the choice of St Mary's Church in Amersham for the service.
Taking to Facebook, Rev. Canon Tim Harper who used to work at St Mary's,noted that the church has a strong reputation when it comes to hosting religious services for celebrities and public figures, including Elton John.
'They need a big church, but absolute discretion before and after the service so they can do things personally and properly, and are duly grateful afterwards,' he wrote, while congratulating his former colleagues on the service.
Cheryl walked behind her ex's coffin following a poignant private service attended by family members and a host of stars from the world of music and sport.
Solemn in funeral black were Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan – the four men Liam had grown up alongside and with whom he shared his rise to stardom.
Liam died after falling 45ft to his death from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Argentina.
Last month, Cheryl paid tribute to Liam in an Instagram post and spoke of her 'indescribable pain' over telling Bear his father had passed away.
Her statement read: '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.'
The pair initially crossed paths on the hit talent show in 2008, however it wasn't until 2016 that their relationship began.
They made their official red carpet debut at Eva Longoria's Global Gift Gala in Paris in that year, with Payne paying tribute to Cheryl with a tattoo of her eye on his arm.
On March 22, 2017, the Girls Aloud singer gave birth to their son Bear, previously writing to Instagram: 'On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy looking like a dream.'
Nonetheless, parenthood caused fault lines in their relationship which could not be overcome: 14 months after Bear was born, the couple announced their separation.
Payne subsequently revealed the birth of their son had put their romance under strain, relating in a podcast interview in June 2022 how Bear’s arrival had ‘ruined’ his relationship ‘for all the right reasons’.
Describing Bear as ‘a lovely, lovely boy’, he praised his ex-partner, saying, ‘She is the best mum in the world, I couldn’t ask for someone better.’
Certainly, the couple’s co-parenting seems to have been largely amicable. Payne lived just three minutes’ drive away from Cheryl’s home in Buckinghamshire and saw his son frequently.
Both also worked hard to keep their son out of the spotlight, with only occasional glimpses of him on social media posts, although in a rare insight in a 2019 interview Cheryl fondly described herself as ‘the strict one’ and Payne as ‘much softer than me’.
She has not publicly dated anyone since splitting from Liam six years ago, and praised the One Direction star for his loyalty.
In a frank interview published in The Sunday Times' Style magazine in 2018, shortly after their split, the mother-of-one was quoted as telling journalist Decca Aitkenhead how Liam 'is the only man who has ever been faithful to her'.
The pop star said she had been disappointed by every important man in her life, including her father, brother and ex-husbands, leaving her with 'zero' interest in a new relationship.
Calling her son 'the man of her dreams', she said she would happily be single for ever. 'I do seriously think I might be, I do,' she told the publication.
