Real reason Cheryl and Liam Payne chose to name their son Bear

Cheryl and Liam Payne welcomed their son in 2017 and raised a few eyebrows with their choice of name

Cheryl and her former partner Liam Payne raised a few eyebrows when they named their son Bear Payne. The couple, who had been together for a year at the time, announced the birth of their boy in March 2017.

The name Bear has been gaining popularity among celebrities, with stars like Kate Winslet and Alicia Silverstone choosing it for their children. It's thought to be a nod to traditional names like Theodore and Edward, with its nickname vibe of "Teddy", not to mention the fame of adventurer Bear Grylls.

However, Cheryl revealed on RuPaul's What's The Tee podcast that she had her own reasons for choosing the name. In 2019, she shared that Bear wasn't immediately named after his birth.

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His actual name was decided five weeks post-birth, reports the Mirror US. The Girls Aloud star recalled: "When I was in the hospital, he used to make these noises.

"We had specialists coming in to see what was going on, he was breathing like quite cute but nothing worrisome. It was just him. The midwife used to come in and say: 'How's the little bear? 'I didn't have the name prior.."

She concluded by expressing her wish for her son's name to be unique: "I couldn't get the nickname out of my mind. We toyed with others but I didn't want him to be the third and such and such in his class. I wanted him to have a unique name."

Cheryl expressed her happiness on Mother's Day, just a few days after welcoming her son Bear, with a heartfelt message: "Although he still doesn't have a name he is already stealing hearts. We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever."

Liam Payne shared his overwhelming joy by posting the same picture and sharing his feelings: "My close friends and family know there are very few times when I'm left speechless... wow! " He went on to praise Cheryl and their newborn, saying: "I'm incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world, it's a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favorite memory I have so far. I'm completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she's really made my dreams come true," as reported by the Mirror.

He also spoke about the impact of their son, adding: "We haven't named him yet but he's already capturing hearts including mine. I feel very blessed."

Cheryl and Liam called it quits back in July 2018, yet they've kept things amicable for their son Bear. Opening up to Ant Middleton, Liam shared: "They're so important to me Cheryl as well. She's one of the most, if not the most, important people in my life.

"Even though we're not together, Cheryl's always there for me. I'm lucky I have someone who understands what I'm going through. The one thing I was missing as a man in the relationship I had, was a level understanding about what she was feeling about stuff."