One Direction star Liam Payne: ‘My baby ruined my relationship for all the right reasons’

The pop star, 28, and his singer ex, 38, welcomed their son Bear in 2017, but broke up a year later.

One Direction star Liam Payne has admitted that having a baby with his partner Cheryl “ruined their relationship - but for all the right reasons”.

The pop star, 28, and his singer ex, 38, welcomed their son Bear in 2017, but broke up a year later.

Now Liam has admitted that he struggled with becoming a father aged 23 in a candid chat on Logan Paul’s podcast.

”I like to talk to other new dads. You don’t know what is coming and it’s different,” he said.

“And to be honest with you, it ruined a relationship for me at that point but for all the right reasons. I was so excited for him to be born that I was actually worried if I wouldn’t love him enough.”

British singer/songwriters Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne. EPA/NEIL HALL

Liam explained that Cheryl haemorrhaged “quite badly” during birth, meaning he had to take care of Bear alone for the first 24 hours.

“It was me and a baby in the room and I was 23 and had to take care of it and I didn’t even have any baby sisters or anything. It was fun.

“The end of the night was me playing FIFA with my little boy on my arm like ‘this is the coolest thing ever’.”

Liam and Cheryl split four years ago, but the One Direction singer only has positive words for her.

“She is the best mum in the world. I couldn’t ask for someone better,” he said.

“I get to take my son to school one or two times a week and it’s the best thing. The relationship we have now as friends has only grown more.

“We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he’s [Bear’s] taken care of. He is all she cares about and I couldn’t ask for more. They live like three minutes from my house.

“I always glue myself to where he is. My life now is his. My money is his. I have several companies he can run if he wants one day or he can sell… but right now he’s only five so we have a long way to go.

“He’s a lovely, lovely boy. We’ve been blessed.”