He’s been very open about how smitten he is with model Maya Henry, and last week Liam Payne played the role of perfect partner to his girlfriend of three months by cooking a Sunday roast for her friends and family at his Surrey mansion – which he used to share with Cheryl and their two-year-old son Bear.
Liam, 26 – who recently boasted about his “wonderful relationship” with his “in-laws” on a podcast – then jetted out to join Maya’s family at their home in Texas for Thanksgiving.
But friends say Cheryl, 36, is concerned by how quickly her ex’s relationship with Maya, 19, is moving,and is worried the couple may want to start a family together soon. When Liam was asked in 2017 if he’d have another child, he replied, “I welcome the idea completely,” while in April, Cheryl – who is currently single – hinted she’d consider “other routes” to getting pregnant.
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A source says, “Cheryl has seen how quickly Liam and Maya have become involved in each other’s lives. She knows Liam moves fast in relationships,as she fell pregnant with Bear quite early on in the relationship. Seeing them spend Thanksgiving together has heightened Cheryl’s fears that things are getting serious between them, and if he’s already so close to Maya’s family after three months, she wonders what the next three months will bring.
“Cheryl is concerned that, if they carry on at the same pace, they’ll be talking about moving in together and starting a family. She says it could change everything between them, because life would get more complicated and even more isolating for her. It’s hard for her to think of them playing families with Bear and any half-sibling. Bear won’t live in America, but she knows she’ll be sharing him. The thought of him being away from her when he visits his dad, while he’s still so young, breaks her heart.”
Maya, who until recently lived in Los Angeles, is now back living with her wealthy family in Texas. With Liam previously living in America – where his solo career is thriving – insiders say Cheryl is worried the couple could settle there.
CHECK OUT Cheryl's relationship timeline
Cheryl relationship timeline - slider with cover pic
1 of 12Swipe through to see Cheryl's relationship history...
2 of 122004-2010: Ashley Cole
Not long into her rise to fame, Cheryl started dating England footballer Ashley Cole, even attending the World Cup with the likes of Victoria Beckham and Coleen Rooney. Clearly smitten, the loved-up pair got married in 2016, penning a six-figure magazine deal at the time.
3 of 122004-2010: Ashley Cole
However, things started to turn sour for the 'golden couple' when Ashley was accused of 'cheating' on Cheryl just months after their wedding. Despite forgiving the footballer, Ashley continued with his ways, with allegations that he'd been unfaithful rocking their romance yet again. Everything got too much for Chez in 2010, when she filed for divorce from Ashley.
4 of 122010-2011: Derek Hough
Cheryl first met professional dancer Derek Hough whilst the pair filmed the music video for her hit track 'Parachute', and it seems they immediately hit it off. The former X Factor judge contracted Malaria in 2010, and she later told Piers Morgan, "I owe my life to Derek... if it wasn't for him I'd be dead."
5 of 122010-2011: Derek Hough
Despite this, it seems the pair were destined to just be friends, with Derek later revealing to the media, "We dated for a while. Absolutely we are still friends, we are still very close."
6 of 122012-2013: Tre Holloway
It seems Cheryl had quite a thing for professional dancers, as her next boyfriend was the super handsome Tre Holloway. Despite first meeting each other on The X Factor in 2010, the pair didn't grow close until 2012, with Cheryl enlisting Tre's dancing skills for her 'Ghetto Baby' music video.
7 of 122012-2013: Tre Holloway
Things seemed to be getting serious between the two, especially when Tre starred in Cheryl's ITV2 documentary. However, the long-distance relationship didn't work out, with the couple calling it quits in 2013. Speaking at the time, Tre said, "She's an amazing person, an amazing woman, and we are good friends."
8 of 122014-2016: Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini
It looked like Cheryl had found 'the one' when she met French businessman Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2014. Only three months into their romance, Cheryl shocked her fans by announcing she'd married JB, in a secret beach location with her close family and friends.
9 of 122014-2016: Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini
After her second marriage, rumours of tension between Cheryl and JB started to arise, with the couple being pictured looking glum on more than one occasion. 18 months after their whirlwind wedding, Cheryl and JB were granted a quickie divorce in October 2018.
10 of 122016-2018: Liam Payne
Shortly after Cheryl divorced JB, she singer shocked the showbiz world in 2016, when she confirmed she was dating One Direction singer Liam Payne. Despite the pair having a 10-year age gap, and originally meeting when Liam was just 14-years-old on The X Factor, Cheryl and Liam instantly hit it off, posting a number of adorable snaps together.
11 of 122016-2018: Liam Payne
After what was the worst kept pregnancy secret of the decade, Cheryl and Liam welcomed a baby boy into the world in March 2017, settling on the name Bear Grey Payne.
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12 of 122016-2018: Liam Payne
Split rumours started to hit the pair in early 2018, but Cheryl and Liam were quick to shut them down, putting on a very loved-up display at the 2018 BRIT Awards. However, just five months later, the couple released a joint statement admitting they've decided to separate. Despite this, the pair remain good friends and co-parent baby Bear.
The source adds, “The idea of them having their own secure family unit in the US, and Bear becoming a part of that, is hard for Cheryl. Her son is the most important person in her life. She wants him to have the best relationship with his dad, but she has concerns about the effect a half-sibling could have on him.”
Liam and Cheryl called it quits last July after more than two years together, but have since remained amicable, spending last Christmas with each other and Bear.
Cheryl said at the time, “There’s no animosity whatsoever. In fact, Liam spent Christmas Day with us. He cooked the turkey and everything at our home. His family came on the 23rd, and then he was in the house before I woke up on Christmas Day.”
Just last month, Liam revealed during his interview with Ant Middleton, Liam Payne: Straight Talking, that Cheryl was “the most important person” in his life – but the TV show was filmed in August, before he started dating Maya, and relations between the pair seem to have since waned.
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While Liam was partying at a Vogue fashion event with Maya last week, Cheryl’s BFF Kimberley Walsh admitted that she’d been on the phone to Cheryl crying over reports they had been voting for their former Girls Aloud band member and frenemy Nadine Coyle to do trials on I’m A Celeb! – which they both have denied.
The backlash has only made Cheryl more vulnerable when it comes to Liam. The source explains, “She feels really lonely at the moment. She is getting all this negative attention around her old feud with Nadine, and even though they split last year, she used to confide in Liam when he called her to check in on Bear. Now, she can’t even lean on him like she used to, because he says it’s unfair on Maya.
“However, Kimberley is really supportive, and has told Cheryl that she can offload to her any time she needs it."
Read more in this week's Closer mag, out now.