As well as looking after new baby son Bear, Cheryl is also finding time to manage Liam’s career and plan a new tattoo
While Liam promotes his single, Chez calls the shots from home
Finally – we have a name! It was reported last week that Cheryl and Liam Payne had named their one-month-old baby Bear, something that was later confirmed when Bear Grylls tweeted Liam his approval. Liam then replied, saying that he hopes his little boy “will grow up with an ounce of your courage”, adding that he considered the TV survival expert to be “a boss”.
And heat hears Liam’s not just gushing about his baby on Twitter. Last week, the former One Direction star hit the promo trail for his upcoming solo single, and insiders tell heat that he can’t stop talking about his new baby. “He’s head-over-heels in love, and will tell anyone who asks about his and Cheryl’s son,” says a source. “He can’t stop talking about Bear – he’s the proudest dad in the world right now, and he seems to be at that new-parent stage, where everything is exciting and totally fascinating. It’s very cute to watch.”
Last week, a knackered-looking Liam, 23, revealed that he and Cheryl, 33, have been bingeing on TV show Judge Rinder in between nappy changes. “There’s a lot of daytime TV at home now we’ve got the baby,” he told a fan. But it’s not all trash telly round the Paynes’ house. We hear that tattoo enthusiasts Cheryl and Liam are planning an inked tribute to their baby Bear.
“They’re undecided at the moment, but they’ve said that they’re considering getting matching tattoos – tiny bear paw prints on their wrists,” says our insider. “It’ll be in the next couple of weeks, and it’s something they’ve talked about a lot.” Liam already has two tattoo tributes to Cheryl: her eye on his arm, and a copy of the rose tattoo on her bum – but on his hand – which he got done within weeks of them dating.
The pair are also awaiting visits and gifts from Bear’s famous One Direction uncles. Two weeks ago, Harry Styles told heat that he was planning a trip to see the new baby, and this week Niall Horan tells us, “I can’t wait. I’ve got my presents – I got them little trainers.” (Go to page 42 for the full interview.)
While Liam’s out promoting his music, insiders tell us that Cheryl’s not just at home looking after little Bear, she’s helping to manage Liam’s career, too. “This is something Cheryl’s somewhat of an expert at, having done it all herself – and made the mistakes as well as having the hugely successful solo career,” says a friend of the singer. “Plus, as she keeps on saying, she knows the industry from
all angles. Liam’s got his own dedicated team, obviously, but he’s insistent that Cheryl needs to be involved. She thinks he needs a cooler, edgier look to set him apart from his boyband days. He really looks up to her, and her experience, and also knows that she understands him and gets his vision. Whereas everyone else considers Liam’s career a business, Cheryl has a personal investment and wants Liam to succeed and be happy.”
In fact, we’ve even heard that Cheryl’s teaching Liam to dance. “Liam’s learning some steps for the video for his new single and live performances, and we all know from The X Factor that no one in One Direction was very keen on – or good at – dancing,” says our insider. “A choreographer has been coming to Liam’s house in Surrey and teaching him some steps, and if he’s struggling to pick them up, Cheryl will come out and show him how it’s done. She’s so encouraging, and of course, she can
really dance.” Liam’s admitted in the past that his girlfriend of 17 months is someone who he turns to for advice, saying,
‘Cheryl thinks that Liam now needs a cooler, edgier look’
“She is a wonderful, wonderful person, and it’s amazing to have someone who can relate to so much of things — someone who’s taken greater steps than me. Her solo career was amazing. She’s been in the industry for 14 years now. She fully supports me. We’re super-happy. I’m still learning.”
And, of course, Cheryl’s got experience in the industry that comes in useful when it comes to guiding new solo careers: four seasons on The X Factor (two of which she won, with Alexandra Burke and Joe Mcelderry), and a mentor in Simon Cowell. A nd, when Cheryl was in Girls Aloud, the girls claimed that they “basically managed ourselves” after Louis Walsh lost interest in the band. “Louis has just never really been a hands-on type of manager, and back then we suffered because of it,” Kimberley Walsh wrote in her autobiography. “Whatever the case, his disappearing act meant we had nobody looking after us and nobody fighting our corner, as far as record company decisions went. Girls Aloud had a tour manager, who got us where we needed to be from day to day, but we were pretty much on our own.”
It’s not just Liam’s career Cheryl’s lending a helping hand to: she’s back in control of her own solo career, too. We’re told that being a new mum has given her the inspiration to start work on her fourth solo album, and she’ll be back in the studio very soon. “It’ll be in the next few months, rather than weeks, but she’ll be recording with a view to releasing new music early next year, depending on how the studio sessions go,” says the source. “She’s excited about getting back to her pop career.”
Power pop couple with a super-cute baby? Liam and Cheryl have got it sorted.