Cheryl is ‘devastated’ over the death of her former partner Liam Payne and has to come to terms with the fact that her seven-year-old son Bear will never see his father again.
The 41-year-old singer attended Liam’s funeral at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on Wednesday, where she was supported by Girls Aloud bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh.
A source told the Mail: ‘She is devastated. She has her own grief, but she also has a son who won’t see his father again and that’s just heartbreaking.
“While she and Liam broke up a long time ago, they bonded over their love for Bear.
‘Liam died in such a terrible way, but the family wanted to remember him as perfectly as possible.’
Cheryl walked behind her ex’s coffin after a moving private service attended by family members and a host of stars from the worlds of music and sport.
Cheryl is ‘devastated’ over the death of her former partner Liam Payne and has to come to terms with the fact that her seven-year-old son Bear will never see his father again
The 41-year-old singer attended Liam’s funeral at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, where she was supported by Girls Aloud bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh.
A source told the Mail: ‘She is devastated. She has her own grief, but she also has a little boy who won’t see his father again and that’s just heartbreaking.”
Solemn in funereal black were Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan – the four men Liam grew up with and shared his rise to stardom with.
Liam died after falling 45 feet from a third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Argentina.
Last month, Cheryl paid tribute to Liam in an Instagram post and spoke of her ‘indescribable pain’ when she told Bear that his father had passed away.
Her statement read: “As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event and process my own grief during this indescribably painful time.
“I would like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being.
‘Liam wasn’t just a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a good friend and a father to our seven-year-old son.
‘A son who now has to face the reality that he will never see his father again.’
The pair initially crossed paths on the popular talent show in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2016 that their relationship began.
Liam and Cheryl share son Bear, who is now seven years old
The source said: ‘While she and Liam broke up a long time ago, they bonded over their love for Bear’ (pictured in 2018)
The grieving mother took to Instagram to share her anguish as she tries to ‘navigate this earth-shattering event’
They made their official red carpet debut at Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Gala in Paris 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, before writing on Instagram: “On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy who looks like a dream.”
But a year later, in July, Cheryl and Liam announced their divorce.
Later in her statement, Cheryl kindly asked the public and media to “give Liam what little dignity he has left.”
She continued, “What disturbs my spirit most is that Bear will one day have access to the disgusting reporting and media exploitation we have seen over the past two days.
‘It breaks my heart further that I won’t be able to protect him from that in the future.
“I implore you to consider the usefulness of some of these reports, other than causing further harm to all those left behind to pick up the pieces.
A selfie of Liam Payne in Argentina before his sudden death at the age of 31
From left to right: One Direction members Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles in 2012
“Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you want your own child or family to read them.
“Please give Liam what little dignity he has left after his death so he can somehow rest.”
Following the mother-of-one’s statement, her best friends Kimberley and Nicola reposted it on their social media accounts alongside broken heart emojis.
According to The Sun, the two friends have been supporting Cheryl since Liam’s death.
They further showed their support on Wednesday when they were among the first mourners to arrive at Liam’s funeral.