Furious Cheryl hits back: “I’m not using Liam!”
The singer is devastated after fans accuse her of taking advantage of boyfriend Liam’s success to relaunch her career
After Cheryl A enjoyed a rare night out with pals, including former bandmates Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts, rumours surfaced that Girls Aloud would be reuniting for their 20th anniversary. But the headlines were met with vicious comments from trolls, who accused Cheryl, 34, of using her boyfriend, One Direction star Liam Payne, 24, to boost her music career.
One Twitter user wrote, “And this is why Cheryl needed Liam, to launch her career again,” while another said, “She needed him by using his name to get in the media every day so that the launch of her career will be less disastrous.” Others even referred to the couple as a “stunt”, writing, “Soul purpose of her having @Liampayne stunting with her, she needs him for publicity. Now that it’s done, can we end the stunt, it’s getting a bit ridiculous anyway. [sic].”
DISBELIEF
And insiders reveal that Cheryl was left hurt by the attacks and furious at the slur that her relationship was a sham.
A source says, “Cheryl inevitably sees fans’ comments on Twitter and she couldn’t believe there was so much hate out there for her. She’s told her friends she and Liam are not a sham, and is outraged people are suggesting that she’s using him in some way. Some of the comments made her want to cry they were so nasty – it’s made her feel vulnerable and as though everyone is out to hurt her.”
It’s certainly come at a challenging time for Cheryl, who’s been making a gradual comeback since having son Bear, one, last year. It was recently revealed that she has now parted ways with her record company after her last album, Only Human, was her lowest charting record to date, and her last single failed to reach the top 100 in 2015.
The taunts come just three months after fans accused Cheryl of using Liam to have a baby. One troll wrote, “Is it just another stunt or did Cheryl just use Liam for a baby? If so it’s so sad. [sic].” Another lashed out, “Cheryl used Liam for his sperm, she was desperate for a baby and he was the chosen donor.”
A source says, “It’s been a constant barrage of abuse from people online for months now and there’s only so much Cheryl can take. She prides herself on being down to earth and genuine, so she’s devastated about what people have been saying. Her worst nightmare is that Bear will one day be old enough to read all the negative things that have been said and it’s been tearing her apart.”
WORRIED
But while Cheryl’s mainly stayed out of the spotlight for the past three years, Liam’s career has skyrocketed. His debut single, Strip That Down, was a worldwide smash, cracking the top ten in America on the US Billboard Hot 100 and solidifying his status as a solo star outside of 1D.
The source adds, “The comments have got Cheryl’s back up because Liam’s career is doing so well right now. But Liam has been really supportive and told her not to pay attention to any negativity. She’s now worried that because of Liam’s continued success, people will be saying she’s trying to ride on his coat tails, but Liam has told her to ignore it and that it’s nonsense.
Reports of issues in the relationship have been gaining momentum over the past few months. At the start of the year, Liam raised eyebrows with his flirtatious friendship with Rita Ora. Then, in March, Cheryl was forced to shoot down reports that Liam was flirting with one of his backing dancers.
Now, insiders say the couple have been spending more time together. The source adds, “Since their recent make-or-break holiday to Dubai, things have been slowly improving. Liam is making more sacrifices to be with Cheryl and Bear at home. They’ve both been compromising and are determined to make it work.”