Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole announced via Twitter recently that after two years together, they have gone their separate ways (or directions, if you prefer).
The British musicians shared identical tweets about their relationship status, writing that it was a “tough decision” to make, but that they still have so much love for one another. The couple welcomed their son, Bear, back in March 2017, and they requested that fans respect his privacy during their breakup.
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.
— Cheryl (@CherylOfficial) July 1, 2018
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.
— Liam (@LiamPayne) July 1, 2018
Rumours of a split between the singers have been bubbling since winter, and up until they made an official breakup announcement on July 1, they had both been shutting down the hearsay. Cheryl, who turned 35 just one day before the announcement hit airwaves, had previously tweeted about her frustration with the media for dwelling on breakup rumours instead of shining the spotlight on something more meaningful, like her charity work.
Oh stop 😩 no one cares who’s been speculatively arguing or not in their relationships 🤦🏻♀️ use your platform to put something productive in your columns 🙏🏻 I opened a centre this week that could help thousands of youth!!!!🙋🏻♀️ ….
— Cheryl (@CherylOfficial) February 22, 2018
E! News reports that at the opening of the Prince’s Trust Cheryl’s Trust Centre in February, journalists had questioned Cheryl about this frustration, and she had brought the focus back to the meaning behind the event: the campaign to support the local youth in Newcastle.
“Do I find it frustrating? No, it doesn’t bother me,” Cheryl had told the BBC. “My focus is solely on this, it’s taken seven years to get here and none of that matters. This is the most important part for me.”
Now, the breakup rumours have been confirmed by Payne and Cheryl, but the reason for the split is still unclear. However, the Sun reports that the One Direction member had asked Cheryl to marry him several times after the birth of their son, but she had rejected him, perhaps due to the 24-year-old’s hectic schedule as a solo artist.
The pair first met in 2008 at Payne’s X Factor audition, when he was just 14 and she was a 24-year-old judging alongside Simon Cowell. At the time, Cheryl had been married to footballer Ashley Cole, who she split from in 2010. Later in 2014, she married French restaurateur, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, who she split from in 2016.
Check out the first time Cheryl and Payne met below for a bizarre blast from the past:
Mackenzie Patterson
Mackenzie Patterson is a Toronto-based freelance writer and blogger. She's passionate about health, wellness and style, and you'll often find her reading self-help books in nature, catching a yoga class or writing in Toronto cafés.
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