Cheryl Tweedy will be heard chatting about her son Bear Payne in a brand new TV interview, filmed before the star tragically died and set to air in the days following Liam Payne’s funeral.
It marks the first time since Liam’s death that 41-year-old Cheryl – who welcomed her son into the world with the late One Direction singer in 2017 – has been seen in a TV interview.
Following Liam’s death at the age of 31 in Argentina last month, Cheryl told fans: “Liam was not only a pop star and a 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.”
It’s not yet known for sure if Cheryl, who split from Liam in 2018, will attend her ex’s funeral this week, or if the mum-of-one will take young Bear to his father’s send-off in Wolverhampton. Liam tragically died in Argentina on October 16 after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, leading to three individuals being charged in relation to his death.
Cheryl has kept a low-profile since releasing her tribute to Liam last month but will appear on our TV screens once again over the weekend. Ahead of the premiere of The Girls Aloud Show: Live at The O2, London, which coincides with what would have been their late bandmate Sarah Harding’s 43rd birthday, Girls Aloud sat down for an interview with ITV.
A conversation that Cheryl had with her bandmates Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh, along with Ben Shephard on October 8, prior to the death of her ex-partner Liam Payne on October 16, has been unveiled on ITVX in anticipation of the concert film.
The band enthusiastically chatted about their phenomenal reunion tour, which included 30 performances across the UK and Ireland. “The music industry is such a young place, that when you’re that young and you’re shrouded in that ageism you just think we could never possibly do that at that age,” Nicola mused during the chat.
Cheryl went on to point out “how fortune” she and her three remaining bandmates are to reunite 22 years on from first being formed on Popstars: The Rivals. The former X Factor judge, speaking prior to Liam’s death, went on to admit that she, Kimberly and Nadine “became a bit cooler” with their kids as they joined them on tour earlier this year.
Liam and Cheryl both previously opened up about the origin of their son’s unique name. On RuPaul’s What’s The Tee podcast in 2019, Cheryl disclosed that she didn’t have a name in mind right after his birth. She recounted that a midwife started calling him by the nickname in the hospital.
Cheryl explained: “When I was in the hospital, he used to make these noises. We had specialists coming in to see what was going on with his breathing like … quite cute but, yeah, worrisome. Nothing wrong [though], just him. The midwife would come in every day and go ‘how’s the little bear? ‘ […] I didn’t have the name prior…” She also mentioned: “I couldn’t get the nickname Bear out of my mind. We toyed with other one but I didn’t want him to be the third such and such in his class. I wanted him to have a unique name.”
Liam confirmed the inspiration behind his son’s name during a 2017 appearance on the Late Late Show with James Corden, revealing that “one of the midwives said it” after hearing the newborn’s vocal presence. He recounted how a doctor assured him there was “nothing wrong” and that Bear simply liked to “make a lot of noise”. Liam added: “And that’s carried on ever since, so he just became Bear.”
Earlier that year, Liam told Total Access about the naming process: “It was like an internal battle. I wanted a more traditional name and [Cheryl] wanted a name that was more unusual. And the reason she chose Bear in the end was because Bear is a name that when you leave a room, you won’t forget. And I like that.”
