Liam Payne reveals he and Cheryl are ‘closer than they’ve ever been’ as they co-parent their son Bear

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne has opened up about his relationship with ex-partner Cheryl, revealing she is “literally the best person” to co-parent with. 

The singers were first linked back in 2016 and Cheryl gave birth (opens in new tab) to their son, Bear Grey Payne, in March 2017. The couple sadly went on to split (opens in new tab) just over a year later, but are thought to have remained close and co-parent (opens in new tab) four-year-old Bear. Now in a recent interview with Glamour magazine, Liam has spoken about his relationship with his ex-partner.

When asked about how he has been finding co-parenting during the Covid-19 pandemic (opens in new tab), the One Direction star responded “fantastic”. 

“I mean, Cheryl is literally the best person to co-parent with”, he continued. “No stress involved. It's very, very relaxed, and we spend a lot of time on FaceTime.”

Liam went on to explain that despite the challenges recent times have posed to families across the world, he believes he has been brought closer to his ex-partner and son. 

“[I]t's been really lovely, and I'm closer to them than I've ever been before, actually, which is really, really nice.

“But bedtime FaceTime can go really well sometimes. Or I bought him some toys yesterday that I showed them on the FaceTime and it was like I had to go and travel over and hand the toys over the fence!” he revealed. 

How has Liam coped during the pandemic?

His closeness to Bear and Cheryl, along with his relationship with girlfriend Maya Henry who he reportedly proposed to in August last year, were no doubt even more important throughout this time.

During the interview, Liam discussed the impact the pandemic has had upon him. He stated that in the first half of the past year, he was so busy he “didn't really notice it as much”.

However, he continued: “[In] this second half, I stopped working and I had a full, proper month off” which was “really hard”. 

“And it was all a bit dark for me for a little bit and I'm sure many people experienced it. Just not being able to go anywhere, not be able to do anything. It really, really hit home,” he revealed.  

When asked what he has found helpful or supportive, he said “friends”, but also talking to one of his managers he’s close to. 

“I think a lot of guys struggle to talk about what the hell is going on a lot of the time. And for me and him, actually, we're quite heart on our sleeves sort of people, so we talk a lot about different things. 

“But I think if I didn't have that, someone to share that with, I think I would have struggled a hell of a lot more”, he powerfully declared.