Cheryl and Liam Payne split: Singer announces 'tough decision' to call time on relationship

The celebrity couple have one-year-old son Bear together
Emma Powell2 July 2018
The Weekender

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Cheryl has announced her split from Liam Payne, weeks after slamming speculation about their relationship.

The former Girls Aloud singer broke the news on Twitter saying calling time on their two-and-a-half years together was a "tough decision".

She tweeted: "We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family."

Cheryl asked for fans to respect the privacy of their one-year-old son Bear who they welcomed last March.

Cheryl and Liam Payne - In pictures

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She finished: "Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together."

The couple were plagued by split rumours earlier this year, with Payne admitting they had been through a "tense patch".

Addressing the speculation in an interview with ES Magazine he said: "We have our struggles — like of course I’m not gonna sit here and say that everything’s absolutely fine and dandy, because of course you go through different things, and that’s what a relationship is.

“But we go through them together as a family and that’s the most important thing for me.

All over: Cheryl and Liam Payne have one-year-old son Bear together
Splash News

"This part of our relationship was never not going to happen, there was always going to be a little bit of tenseness in the way we sort ourselves out, but tell me a relationship in the world that doesn’t go through a spot like that?

"It’s about whether you make it through or not, together, is the main point there I guess.”

The couple were first hit by split rumours in February with reports claiming his solo career was causing a strain on their relationship due to the extensive travelling.

But they shut down the speculation by putting on a united front at the BRIT Awards where Cheryl made a joke about their sex life. It marked the first time they had been pictured together in four months.

Cheryl later shot down the rumours on Twitter, telling fans reports that they were unhappy were "ludicrous".

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