Cheryl and Liam Payne split: ‘Cynical’ Piers Morgan accuses pair of ‘fuelling’ break up rumours

The Good Morning Britain star couldn't resist serving up his opinion on the split
Emma Powell2 July 2018
The Weekender

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Piers Morgan has suggested Cheryl and Liam Payne pressed the self-destruct button on their relationship by “fuelling” split rumours.

The celebrity pair called time on their two-and-a-half year romance this weekend, months after hitting back at reports claiming they were on the verge of a break up.

Speaking about the couple on Good Morning Britain, Morgan said: “To me they just fuelled them. When people do that you just think well they’re trying a bit hard to disprove something that probably is true. Why pretend?”

Co-host Susanna Reid branded Morgan “cynical" saying: “Maybe behind the scenes they were trying to make it work."

Cheryl confirmed the news on Sunday night, telling fans that their priority is now their one-year-old son Bear.

Split: Cheryl and Liam Payne have called it quits
AP

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.

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

Morgan took aim at the statement, saying the celebrity couple should have been more “honest”.

“It’s always weird when they say they have so much love for each other,” he said. “If you have that much love what are you splitting up for?

“These statements should be a little bit more honest: ‘We can’t stand the sight of each other’. In the end if it’s two years and you split up it’s just because you don’t like people anymore.”

Unable to resist a morning without mentioning Love Island, Morgan then blamed the reality TV show for the lack of long term relationships.

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

He said: “Do you think people battle it out enough these days? Love Island encourages such an ephemeral approach to [relationships].

“The root cause of most evils in the world can be charted directly to Love Island.”

Cheryl and Liam Payne - In pictures

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Payne and Cheryl started dating in 2015 before going public with their relationship later that year. They welcomed their son Bear in March 2017.

Payne admitted to going through a “tense” patch with the former Girls Aloud singer earlier this year.

In an interview with ES Magazine he said: “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.”

Good Morning Britain is on ITV, weekdays at 6am

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