Cheryl’s baby joy: “I’ve never been this happy or in love before”
Pals say the singer has totally overhauled her lifestyle – and has gone to extreme lengths to prepare for her new family
It’s been the most I anticipated celebrity baby since Prince George’s arrival in 2013 and – amid fevered fan speculation that Cheryl has already given birth – as Closer went to press, an announcement was expected any day.
Now insiders reveal that Cheryl’s over the moon to be establishing the family unit she’s craved for so long.
A source says: “Cheryl is very emotional at the moment – she’s so happy she cries all the time. She says she’s never been this happy or in love – it’s like she’s retreated into a baby bubble.”
After finally confirming her pregnancy last month by showing off her bump in a photo shoot, pals say Cheryl’s thrilled to have a newfound focus.
MORE CONFIDENT
An insider reveals: “This is the start of the new chapter in her life. The nightmares, heartbreaks, disappointments and failures of the past have all dissolved.
“Becoming a mum has transformed her. She’s saying she’s never felt more purposeful in life or more confident – she never dreamed she could be this happy.”
Cheryl, 33, has suffered the heartache of two failed marriages and years of longing for a family – admitting in 2012: “I was put on Earth to be a mother.”
But despite being overjoyed, insiders reveal that Cheryl, who has deliberately kept her pregnancy under wraps, already has a bulletproof plan in place to ensure she keeps things private for the new arrival.
Closer reported recently how she was left shaken after Liam’s 1D bandmate Louis Tomlinson was arrested following a scuffle with a paparazzi and two female fans. After going public about her romance with Liam in February 2016, Cheryl has been trolled and threatened by some 1D fans.
And insiders say the star has been shunning the media spotlight since falling pregnant as she’s determined to keep her family life in lockdown.
A source reveals: “Cheryl and Liam are both huge stars – but they have seen first-hand the flipside that fame can bring. They’re trying to be as private as possible when it comes to the baby. For the first few weeks after giving birth, she’ll be tucked away in Liam’s ultraprivate Surrey mansion.
“When she does want to travel, it’ll be in blacked-out cars, and they’ll hold family reunions in private rented estates. She only wants trusted confidantes around her.”
INNER CIRCLE
Insiders add that Cheryl has enlisted the support of a secret “mum squad” to help her.
A source reveals: “Cheryl’s environment is tightly controlled. She only trusts a select few people. She has already planned to move in her mum Joan, as well as Liam’s mum, Karen, to help out with the baby. She also has a small support network of close pals and associates she has worked with for years, including Kimberly Walsh, Nicola Roberts and her PA Lily England. “Only the people Cheryl already knows and trusts will be allowed into her inner circle around the baby. For the first few weeks these will be the only ones considered for a visit and to stay with her.
“She’ll trust some of her friends who are already mums to give her advice, but there are only one or two, such as Kimberley, that she would even consider actually helping her. The plan is for her sister, Gillian, to come to stay – Cheryl really wants her around, as she was always there when Gillian
had her three children.
As Closer previously reported, mum-of-two Kimberley – who has two-year-old Bobby and three-month-old Cole – urged Cheryl not to isolate herself when the baby arrives. And pals say the star has been turning to Kim for advice on how to prevent any feelings of isolation.
GOOD ADVICE
The insider says: “Kim’s told her how great it is for Bobby to have little friends and fun activities to do with children his age. She’s advised Cheryl to try to find a way to make it happen – to go to very exclusive nurseries where there are only a handful of kids.”
The source adds: “Kimberley has a close-knit family and tight circle of mum friends who aren’t connected with showbiz, so she does a lot of play dates with them – people she trusts implicitly, who she’s promised she’ll introduce to Cheryl.
“Kimberley also has a solid relationship with her husband and has advised Cheryl that, even with everything going on, and how besotted she’ll be with the baby, she needs to invest time in Liam. She told her to make plenty of time for them as a couple.”
In an interview last week, Liam gushed about Cheryl, saying: “Obviously I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world and she’s absolutely amazing. She’s been my dream girl since I was younger. She’s so ace. She fully supports me. We’re super happy. It’s a very personal, precious time for us.”
Liam, who has recently spent long stretches in LA to complete his new album, has been compensating for his absences by lavishing his attention on Cheryl.
A source says: “It’s been tough for them, with Liam going back and forth to LA, but he constantly does things to show Cheryl how much he loves her. He makes cups of tea for her and her mum, has the fridge stocked with delicious food and also makes sure she has her favourite snacks
“He’s downloaded TV shows from the US he thinks she may like, and had a beautician visit to pamper her. He’s encouraging her to take gentle walks around the garden; to get out playing with the dogs in the fresh air.”
MEDIA ATTENTION
Cheryl’s secluded life is a world away from her attentionseeking days as one of the UK’S most high-profile celebs – as a pop star with Girls Aloud and a judge on The X Factor. She penned a tell-all autobiography, and arranged a publicity deal for her 2006 wedding to first husband Ashley Cole.
But the Cheryl of today prefers to shun media attention. And pals say she’s adamant it’ll stay that way with the baby.
An insider says: “Cheryl really regrets how public she was with some aspects of her personal life in the past. She swears now that she will never put her life into the public domain again. She’s determined to be a private person. When it comes to her personal life, she says that for the sake of her baby she’ll never ‘sell out’ again.”
‘Becoming a mum has transformed her’