Cheryl and Bear escape to Majorca to celebrate Liam’s 24th. But with his mum and his mates in tow, it doesn’t sound like a very romantic getaway
But things weren’t quite as picture-perfect as they looked
It was their first holiday as a family of three and, naturally, Cheryl and Liam Payne couldn’t resist uploading gorgeous pictures of themselves (and Baby Bear’s adorable chubby hand) on their Instagram accounts. But while it may have looked like the getaway of dreams, as they celebrated Liam’s 24th birthday in Majorca, we’re told things were a little awkward behind the scenes – mainly thanks to Liam’s mates and Chezza’s glam squad coming along for the ride.
“Obviously, Liam wanted to enjoy their first proper family holiday together with Bear,” says heat’s insider. “But he also wanted to have a really fun few days with his mates. He called it his ‘birthday blowout’, and he wanted to go big, so several of his friends from school flew out to join them. Cheryl is happy for Liam to let his hair down – and she was enjoying a few drinks, too – but she felt the pressure for him to have a good time, while showing she could still be fun. Plus, she’s still getting to know his friends – but she was really making an effort.”
Liam’s parents also flew out to join the couple on his actual birthday – this holiday is sounding less romantic by the second. And Chezza also had other things on her mind, as she was preparing for her big post-baby body reveal, while the group enjoyed a day trip on a luxury boat in the Med.
“Cheryl stage-managed these ‘perfect’ snapshots for social media,” says heat’s insider close to the couple, who had Bear in March after a whirlwind 15 months together. “Honestly, she was getting obsessive about it. The public got to see four or five glossy shots, but behind the scenes, Cheryl spent hours getting them done, and then hours choosing which ones to post. She tried around five different outfits and bikinis to see what looked best for the pics, and she had her entire entourage there with her to do her
hair and make-up. They tried lounging shots like the one she posted, but also some sunbathing ones, various poses around the yacht, and hundreds with Liam – some kissing, some cuddling.” It was, of course, our first glimpse of 34-year-old Cheryl’s postpregnancy body, but Liam couldn’t understand the effort behind all the pictures.
“Cheryl was working out and dieting hard for the few weeks before the trip,” says the insider. “It was definitely something she felt she had to prove. She put on weight while she was pregnant, like everyone does, and wanted to get back her usual size 6. She wanted to show the world that she was back to her best, with a six-pack to boot. She really didn’t want to be in a bikini with even a hint of a baby belly. Liam is used to all this with work photo shoots, but even he was getting a bit frustrated with her. He was saying that he’d prefer it if she enjoyed the moments, instead of staging them for pics. But he knows how important it was for her.”
And Liam clearly appreciates all her hard work, saying last week, “She is a superwoman. Bless her, she’s done so well and she’s really happy with herself at the moment.” n