Liam Payne's special Christmas tradition with son Bear and Cheryl Cole

Although Liam Payne and Cheryl went their separate ways when their son Bear was just a baby, they made a conscious effort to co-parent as a team, including during the holiday season. The late One Direction star, who died last month at the age of 31, had previously expressed his delight in celebrating Christmas with Bear, now seven, especially as the youngster grew old enough to understand the festivities.

In a 2019 episode of This Morning, when Bear was two and a half, Liam shared his plans to spend Christmas with Cheryl and their son, saying: "I'm going to go down and see Bear, maybe cook a Christmas dinner and just hang out with family. Yeah, we're going to go down and cook some food and hang out."

Liam fondly recalled: "I think it's the first time he really gets Christmas now. I want to see if he actually gets unwrapping presents this year though, because otherwise, it'll just be Cheryl by the tree again."

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He added: "I can really remember it from last year, she wrapped them all up and then unwrapped them and I just sat there going, 'Right, what is this?'" Despite ending their relationship, Cheryl, 41, and Liam have always spoken highly of each other, often praising each other's parenting skills. The pair split up shortly after their son Bear's first birthday but managed to maintain a friendly co-parenting relationship, even choosing to live near each other for convenience.

Speaking on Logan Paul's podcast Impaulsive, Liam shared details about their positive arrangement, saying: "I get to take my son to school one or two times a week and it's the best thing," reports the Mirror.

"The relationship we have now as friends has only grown more. We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he's [Bear's] taken care of. He is all she cares about and I couldn't ask for more. They live like three minutes from my house. I always glue myself to where he is. My life now is his."

In a heart-wrenching statement released following Liam's death, Cheryl reflected on the harsh reality that Bear will never see his father again. She wrote: "As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being. Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity; he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven-year-old son."

The grieving mother expressed her anguish, saying: "A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again. What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future."

Liam died on October 16 after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his body is expected to be returned to the UK this week, with the funeral scheduled to take place in the coming days.