According to Simon Cowell's brother, Liam Payne never stopped loving Cheryl Cole.

Tony Cowell, 74, said the One Direction star's tragic death at the age of 31 will be “so difficult” for the Girls Aloud singer, 41, and he “can't imagine her pain”.

Payne and Cole's two-year relationship ended in 2018, a year after the birth of their son Bear.

The pop star previously told a podcast in 2022 that she was an “amazing mother,” and Cheryl also said in announcing their split that they “still feel so much love for each other as a family.”

Payne died last Wednesday after falling 45 feet from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

According to Simon Cowell's brother, Liam Payne never stopped loving Cheryl Cole

Payne and Cole's two-year relationship ended in 2018, a year after the birth of their son Bear

Tony Cowell pictured in 2010 with One Direction's Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Niall Horan

Payne was 16 when Tony first met the star backstage at The X Factor in 2010.

He talked about how he was always “open and honest” and always had a “huge smile” on his face.

Tony also revealed that Payne had traveled to the Cotswolds to see his brother Simon a few months before his death.

He told Closer magazine: “Liam was determined to win Simon’s approval (on The X Factor). He desperately wanted to please him.

“We are devastated. I feel for Simon too. He met Liam a few months ago.

“I feel for Cheryl too as I know Liam never stopped loving her and Bear. “It will be so hard for her. I can't imagine her pain. Louis Walsh is also devastated. He told me, “Liam had these star qualities about him. 'I'm going to miss him.'

Tony added: “Our family has known Liam for so many years. I will always remember how he always made the effort to speak to our late mother Julie when she was in Simon's dressing room.

Simon Cowell attends the ceremony honoring Simon with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with his brothers Nicholas and Tony Cowell in August 2022

Tony posted a moving tribute to Payne on his X account last week, along with a throwback photo from 2010 of him standing alongside One Direction

Cheryl and Liam in London in March 2016. In a podcast in 2022, he said that she was a “great mother.”

Announcing their split, Cheryl also said that they “still have so much for each other as a family” (pictured at the Global Gift gala in Paris, France, in May 2016).

A grieving Cheryl opened up about her grief following Payne's death on Instagram, saying she was trying to “cope with this world-shattering event.”

“Yes, fame took its toll on his mental health, but he remained kind and considerate and an incredible friend to so many and a wonderful father to (his son) Bear; so generous and private.'

Tony posted a moving tribute to Payne on his X account last week, along with a throwback photo from 2010 of him standing alongside One Direction.

“Emma (his wife) and I cannot even process this terrible news,” he wrote.

“From the moment we met, you were gentle, kind and considerate. You always took the time to talk to everyone in our family and were kind and generous. “Our hearts are broken and we will remember you forever.”

A grief-stricken Cheryl opened up about her grief following Payne's death on Instagram, saying she was trying to “cope with this world-shattering event”.

Her statement read: “As I attempt to come to terms with this earth-shattering event and process my own grief during this indescribably painful time.”

“I would like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost someone.”

“Liam was not just a pop star and a celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven-year-old son.”

“A son who now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”

The couple first crossed paths on the hit talent show in 2008, but their relationship only began in 2016.

They made their official red carpet debut this year at Eva Longoria's Global Gift Gala in Paris, with Payne paying tribute to Cheryl with a tattoo of her eye on his arm.

Alongside her touching tribute to the late 31-year-old, Cheryl posted a picture of the father and his son

The Girls Aloud singer previously dated Payne for two years, and the couple welcomed their child Bear Gray into the world on March 22, 2017

The Girls Aloud singer gave birth to her son Bear on March 22, 2017, and previously wrote on Instagram, “On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy who looks like a dream.”

But a year later, in July, Cheryl and Payne announced their separation.

In a candid interview published in The Sunday Times Style magazine in 2018 shortly after their split, mother-of-one Cheryl was quoted as telling journalist Decca Aitkenhead that Payne is “the only man she's ever known.” remained faithful.”

The pop star said she has been disappointed by every important man in her life, including her father, brother and ex-husbands, so she has “zero” interest in a new relationship.

She called her son “the man of her dreams” and said she would be happily single forever. “I seriously believe that,” she told the publication.