Liam Payne's 'internal battle' with Cheryl Cole over decision for son Bear

Daily Mirror

08-05-2025

One Direction star Liam Payne, who died aged 31 falling from the third floor of a hotel in October 2024, left behind millions for his son Bear as his ex Cheryl Tweedy is granted the power of administration for his estate
Liam Payne co-parented his beloved son Bear with his ex Cheryl after the couple split in 2018. Liam died without writing a will after plunging from the third floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October.
Cheryl, who described his death as an "earth shattering event", has now been granted the power of administration of the late singer's estate. The Strip That Down singer left behind £24.3million, much of which is thought to be going to his eight-year-old son.
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According to court documents filed on May 1, music lawyer Richard Bray was also named as an administrator. Liam was just 23-years-old when he became a father to Bear in 2017, with the couple splitting just a year later.
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In an interview, Liam revealed he had an "internal battle" when it came to naming his son, with Cheryl opting for Bear despite the singer not being a fan.
In May 2017, Liam told Total Access: "It was like an internal battle. I wanted a more traditional name, and she 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. When I look at him, he's just Bear."
Liam added: "At first, I wasn't really having it. I was like, 'I'm not really sure. I don't really understand.' Now, I look at him and he's Bear. You become your name as you get older anyway." A few months later, Liam shared how one of the midwives at his birth called him 'Bear' in the delivery room, and the name carried on.
On March 25, 2017, Cheryl posted the news of her and Liam's child on Instagram with a picture of the 1D star holding the baby. She wrote: "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."
She continued: "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." Before ultimately deciding on the name Bear, the former couple shared their struggle about whether their son's moniker should be traditional or modern.
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He told James Corden: "He had this thing where if they don't have a good cry, they get fluid in their lungs, which is quite serious, so he was like going 'grrrr'. I had like 10 doctors come in the room, and in the end, the guy was just like, 'Dude, I'm not being funny. There's nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.' And that's carried on ever since, so he just became Bear."
Mindful of his celebrity status, Cheryl and Liam chose not to share any pictures of Bear's face. But the 1D singer revealed in 2020 that his then-three-year-old son looked like him. He said: "He looks exactly like me, which is very strange. When family members see baby pictures of me now, they say, 'Oh wow, Bear looks really great there!'"
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In 2018, a year after Bear's birth, the parents announced their split following two and a half years together, but vowed to remain close to raise their son.
A statement read: "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."
In 2022, Liam shared how he spent a lot of quality time with his son. He said: "I see him two times a week, three times a week sometimes.
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"And I make sure when I see him, he has 100 percent of my time. I make sure that I'm not on my phone or d***ing around somewhere else. So, I like to give him those moments and it's important, he needs that in his life, he needs his dad in his life, and I'm happy he looks at me like a superhero, and I'm hoping to keep it that way."
Following his death, Cheryl paid a devastating tribute to Liam as she described his death as an " earth-shattering event".
She said at the time: "As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being.
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"Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven-year-old son. A son who now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again."
The chart-topping Girls Aloud singer went on to say: "What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.
"I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces.
"Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them. Please give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last. Thank you, Cheryl."