Cheryl and Liam Payne announce they've split one year after welcoming baby Bear

Cheryl and Liam have announced they are splitting, just over a year after they welcomed their son Bear.

The two revealed the sad news in a statement on social media, explaining that despite having 'so much love' for each other, they have decided to break up.

The couple, who became parents for the first time last year when they welcomed son Bear, also said that in the message to fans that he is their 'world'.

Cheryl wrote on Twitter: 'We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family.

'Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.'

Liam also posted a very similar on his own Twitter account, which read: 'Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make.

'We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.'

Cheryl's relationship with the former One Direction star began in 2016, after she separated from her second husband, French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

In March 2017, Cheryl announced that she had welcomed her first son with Liam, who they decided to name Bear.

She wrote on Instagram at the time, alongside a picture of Liam holding baby Bear: 'On Wednesday 22nd March Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream. Although he still doesn't have a name he is already stealing hearts.

'We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever 💙.'

The singer was also previously married to the former England footballer Ashley Cole, but they officially divorced in February 2010.