Stay ahead with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Stay ahead with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Stay ahead with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Liam Payne has died aged 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The One Direction singer was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy at the time of his death, while ex-fiancé Maya Henry had a cease and desist order issued last week because the musician continued to contact her.

Before meeting Cassidy in October 2022 and Henry in 2019, Liam dated former X factor judge Cheryl Cole.

The couple shares a seven-year-old son, Bear, together.

We break down the timeline of the couple’s unconventional meeting and subsequent relationship below.

2008 – Cheryl and Liam meet for the first time on the X Factor

Liam was 14 years old when he met X factor judge Cheryl first appeared during season five of the hit show in 2008. He sang Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ and gave a nod to the former Girls Aloud singer.

“I think you’re really cute, you have charisma and you gave me a cheeky wink,” she said of her first impressions. Cheryl was married to Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole at the time.

The aspiring musician from Wolverhampton reached the bootcamp stage of the competition before being sent home by Simon Cowell and told to return in two years.

2010 – One Direction is formed

The singer returned to the show the same year that Cheryl divorced her husband, Ashley. While Liam was recorded as a solo artist at the time, Pussycat Doll and X factor judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested a band could be formed by bringing together solo rejects Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and of course Liam.

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2015 – Liam and Cheryl are reunited

One Direction performed at the X factor finale in December 2015, where Cole and Payne reportedly met again. At the time, Cheryl was married to her second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

2016 – Cheryl splits from her second husband amid Liam Payne rumors and the couple confirm their relationship

The couple split in February amid rumors that Cole was now dating the One Direction star. Payne had shared a series of Instagram photos dedicated to the singer, including one on International Women’s Day in which she called her his “favorite woman in the world.”

Despite a ten-year age difference, the couple made their relationship official in May of the same year with a public appearance at the Global Gift Gala in Cannes.

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2017 – Liam and Cheryl welcome their first child

On March 25, 2017, the couple announced the arrival of their first child, whom they named Bear. Cheryl shared a photo of Liam holding the newborn.

“My close friends and family know that there are very few moments when I am speechless… wow! I’m incredibly excited to welcome our new baby boy into the world,” Liam wrote in an emotional post on his Instagram page.

“It’s a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favorite memory I have so far. I am completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been through this all the way, she has truly made my dreams come true.

2018 – The couple separates

In July 2018, Liam announced the couple had split in a post on X/Twitter, following rumors that the singer’s promotional work for his new solo career meant the couple couldn’t spend as much time together.

He wrote: “Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It has been a difficult decision for us.

“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 this together.”

2019 – 2024 New relationships and co-parenting

Following his divorce from Cheryl, Liam started dating 23-year-old Texan model Maya Henry in 2019 and got engaged the following year. By June 2021, the couple had decided to end their relationship, but it rekindled later that year before breaking off their engagement for the second and final time in May 2022.

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Liam reportedly remained active in his son Bear’s life.

“I take my son to school once or twice a week and that is the most fun. The relationship we (he and Cheryl) have as friends now has only grown,” he told YouTuber Logan Paul.

“We broke up for a reason and now she gives me complete autonomy over my life and to do what I do, and I know he (Bear) is taken care of. He’s all she cares about and I couldn’t ask for more.”

2024 – Liam dies suddenly in a balcony fall

At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy, whom he met in October 2022.

Cheryl has not released a statement regarding the death at the time of writing.