Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole's relationship timeline

Liam Payne, who died on October 16, shared his seven-year-old son Bear with his ex-singer Cheryl Cole.

The former couple gave birth in March 2017 and dated for two years before calling it quits in July 2018.

Payne, a singer and former member of One Direction, died after falling from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.

Read on to know more about Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole's past relationship.

Cheryl and Liam Payne — Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne attend the BRIT Awards in London on February 21, 2018.Karwai Tang/WireImage

2008: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole meet for the first time

In 2008, Payne and Cole met when Payne auditioned for The X Factor at the age of 14. At the time, Cole was serving as a judge on the show alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.

During his audition, Payne sang a rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra. Although Cowell wasn't entirely convinced by Payne's performance, Cole said she adored the young singer and voted him through to the next round.

“I like you. I think you’re really cute,” she told him.

Later in a separate interview on the show, Payne said that he liked Cole's compliment that she gave him.

“Cheryl thought I was cute, which was a huge compliment,” he said.

While he was later eliminated from the competition by Powell, Payne returned to the singing competition in 2010, saying he understood why he was sent home.

“I was really young and I wasn't ready and now I'm 16 and I'm back to try again,” he said on stage before singing “Cry Me a River” by Michael Bublé.

During this season, Cole eventually joined forces with his “X Factor” costars Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form One Direction.

2016: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole begin a relationship

In 2016, Cole separated from her second husband, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini. When the couple broke up, rumors began that Payne and Cole were dating.

The couple made their red carpet debut in May 2016 when they attended the Global Gift Gala in Paris.

At the event, Cole was honored with the Global Gift Philanthropist Award.

“So proud of her tonight, such a special award #GlobalGiftGala,” Payne captioned a photo of them together at the gala on X.

2017: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole welcome a child together

According to People, Payne and Cole announced on Instagram in March 2017 that they had given birth to their son, Bear.

During his appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden in September 2017, Payne explained why they chose the name Bear.

The singer said his son made a rumbling noise in his sleep as a newborn, which led to him being examined by specialists. Finally a doctor said, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He just likes to make a lot of noise.”

“So he just became Bear,” Payne told host James Corden.

In an interview with People in July 2018, Payne shared that he enjoys playing his new music for Bear.

“I love making great music for my fans. But if you do something that your son likes loves“It’s the best thing ever,” he shared.

2018: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole split

After two years of dating, Payne announced in a post on X in July 2018 that he and Cole had split.

“Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It was a difficult decision for us,” Payne wrote. “We still have so much love for each other as a family. The bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate this situation together.”

Cole also repeated a similar statement on the platform.

“We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It was a difficult decision for us,” she wrote. “We still have so much love for each other as a family. The bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate this situation together.”

Although the two had gone their separate ways, they seemed to have a good co-parenting relationship. In 2020, Payne congratulated Cole on Bear's third birthday and he thanked the “Fight for This Love” singer for showing her son “all the love in the world.”

2008: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole meet for the first time

2016: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole begin a relationship

2017: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole welcome a child together

2018: Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole split

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