His latest modelling shoot was unveiled last week and the pictures – showing him naked on a bed with a topless model lying across his manhood – quickly stirred up a scandal.
Starring in Hugo Boss’ latest underwear advert, the Strip That Down singer Liam Payne is shown frolicking with Victoria’s Secret model Stella Maxwell, 29, in various sexual scenarios.
He wears the famous fashion label’s pants before apparently stripping them off. In an interview to accompany the shoot, father-of-one Liam confessed he "basically shot soft-core porn", and revealed his outraged mum "gave him a clip round the ear" when he showed her a preview of the photos.
Check out: From Cheryl to Coleen Rooney - where are the 2006 WAGS now?
The UK Wags - where are they now? - slider
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1 of 9Victoria Beckham
One half of the indestructible Beckham brand, Victoria was the original Queen WAG in 2006. At the time Victoria had been married to David for seven years and had just given birth to her third boy, Cruz. She had also just launched her denim line, dvb Style and walked the catwalk for Roberto Cavalli. Over a decade later, she is a fully fledged and well respected fashion designer, with a fourth addition to her brood – the adorable Harper.
2 of 9Coleen Rooney
Coleen rose to fame as a WAG at just 20 years old. Coleen and Wayne are married and they celebrated their ten-year anniversary in 2018. However, Wayne's repeated cheating has strained the relationship over the years. They have four children together, Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Since 2006 Coleen has released a fitness DVD, been a style advisor for Littlewoods and even had a column with us in Closer magazine.
3 of 9Cheryl
How could we forget Cheryl as a WAG? Back then, 23-year-old Cheryl was a popstar in Girls Aloud who had just married Ashley Cole. Nowadays, Cheryl is a household name and a worldwide celebrity in her own right. After splitting from Ashley in 2010, she had a successful (well, successful-ish) solo career, was a judge on The X Factor and was the face of beauty brand L'Oreal. She married Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in 2016 but they divorced three months later. Most recently, Cheryl separated from One Direction singer, Liam Payne, who she has a baby son called Bearwith.
4 of 9Abbey Clancy
Abbey first grabbed our attention in 2006 as one of the finalists in Britain's Next Top Model. She began dating Peter Crouch that same year and the pair are now married with three kids Sophia Ruby, Liberty Rose and baby Johnny. Lingerie model Abbey went on to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and she returned to Britain's Next Top Model as the show's presenter. Not bad work, eh?
5 of 9Danielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd was dating footballer Teddy Sheringham when she gained her WAG status. At the time, her title as Miss Great Britain was a controversial matter and she was later stripped of it. Fast forward to now and Danielle has appeared on TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother, Total Wipeout, The Weakest Link and even Come Dine With Me. She has three sons, Archie, Harry and George with her now ex-husband Jamie O'Hara. Danielle gave birth to a fourth child with her husband Michael O'Neill, Ronnie, in 2017.
6 of 9Elen Rivas
Elen Rivas was engaged to Frank Lampard at the time of the 2006 World Cup, and was a permanent fixture in the WAG circle. After splitting from Frank after a seven-year relationship, she dated Peter Andre, appeared on Dancing On Ice and now looks after her two daughters Luna and Isla while working as a model. Frank has since married TV presenter Christine Bleakley and they've welcomed their daughter Patricia into the world.
7 of 9Louise Owen
Despite being married to one of the most famous footballers at the time, Louise Owen wasn't your stereotype WAG. She has always managed to keep her distance from the limelight. Her passion is rescuing race horses and she currently lives in Wales with her husband Michael and their four children, Gemma, James, Jessica and Emily.
8 of 9Carly Zucker
Now known as Carly Cole after marrying midfielder Joe Cole in Chelsea in 2009, Carly loved to party during the 2006 World Cup (we know the feeling). She then spent two weeks in the jungle during I'm A Celeb in 2009 before being the third to be booted out. Carly and Joe have had three children, Ruby, Harrison and Max together.
9 of 9Alex Curran
Former nail technician Alex Curran began dating Liverpool player Steven Gerrard in 2002. She was one of the leading figures in the 2006 WAG squad. The pair married in 2007 and they have had four children together, Lexie, Lio, Lord, Lilly-Ella. Fashion lover Alex has released a perfume, fronted a Lipsy campaign and written a weekly shopping column for a national newspaper.
Even his loyal fans were shocked at the risqué images, with one saying, "This is so inappropriate – he has young fans!" Another commented, "Put your pants on Liam, you have a son."
Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan commented on the steamy campaign, saying, "Even if a female star was doing this, I’d say, 'Put some clothes on, love!' And I’m saying the same thing about Liam Payne. This [shoot] is ridiculous."
And insiders say Liam, 26 – who recently admitted he was "frightened" of his "strict" ex Cheryl – worried the drama around the video would leave him facing her wrath.
An insider says, "It’s fair to say Cheryl was not impressed with the shoot and was a little shocked by Liam’s porn confessions afterwards. She didn’t even think it was a sexy shoot, it just felt a bit inappropriate.
"She’s told Liam that he has to think and behave like a dad now, and this could be something that he will live to regret as a parent.
"They’d previously agreed to always set a good example for Bear and she feels that, while posing naked with a supermodel between his legs might be fun for Liam now, it may look different in hindsight. She says Liam’s recent behaviour is really worrying her."
Liam and Cheryl, 36, split in July 2018 but co-parent two-year-old Bear, with Liam recently revealing that he visits the toddler – who lives with Cheryl – when he can.
And on Bear’s first birthday in 2017, proud Cheryl gushed on social media, "You are the most amazing daddy and the best example for our son. The way he looks at you says it all. Your relationship melts my heart. You are the centre of his world and we adore you."
Last month, Liam revealed he turned to Cheryl whenever he needed support, with him saying, "Cheryl’s always there for me. I’m lucky enough to have someone who understands what I go through."
But although they’ve been getting on well co-parenting, insiders say Cheryl has opened up to pals over her fears that Liam seems different to the man she first fell in love with, and she’s growing concerned about his conduct.
Closer previously revealed how Liam had hinted his working relationship with Rita Ora had upset his ex, saying their steamy duet in February 2018 hadn’t "done wonders for [his] personal life with Cheryl".
And he raised eyebrows when he recently opened up about his excessive drinking on the Table Manners podcast with Jessie Ware.
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He also sparked concerns during an interview with survival expert Ant Middleton on his TV show, where Liam revealed he felt "lucky" to be alive after depression left him suicidal following the pressure of fame he found in 1D.
And Liam also revealed last week that he had to take time to process his recent risqué photoshoot himself, saying, "There was a real hollow moment afterwards where I was sitting outside smoking a cigarette thinking, 'I have basically just shot soft-core porn.'"
The source adds, "Cheryl thinks he may be having a bit of an identity crisis at the moment – she can’t really recognise him.
"She’s the only one who will put her foot down – but when she brought up her concerns, it led to a few cross words between them, so she is left wondering what to do if this continues."