It’s Cheryl and Liam’s first Christmas with baby Bear (yay), but Liam’s going to miss the build-up because of work (boo)
Liam’s work is ruining her perfect plans for festive family fun…
In the words of Michael Bublé, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” when the countdown to Christmas begins and we all start mainlining Baileys and buying unnecessary amounts of sparkly tat. And, as new parents to baby Bear, Cheryl and boyfriend Liam Payne should be enjoying the build-up to their son’s first Chrimbo together. But, instead, they face spending this precious time apart as, thanks to pesky work commitments, Liam will be away for weeks and won’t get home until just days before Christmas. And, understandably, they’re both gutted.
“Cheryl and Liam are upset that he is going to miss the run-up to Bear’s first Christmas,” an insider tells heat. “They knows what an exciting time it’s going to be, especially because she has so much planned. But Cheryl understands why Liam has to be away. She had hoped he would be able to join in all the festivities and she can’t help feel that he’s missing out. It’s not what she had hoped for.”
Liam, 24, is in America from now until 17 December, performing shows, with the exception of 10 December, when he is playing the Jingle Bell Ball at London’s O2. However, it’s thought he’ll only be in the UK for a matter of hours, as he’s playing in New York two days before and then doing a gig in Washington on the day after London, which means he won’t have much time to see his “missus” (as he calls Chezza) and Bear. “Liam will hopefully be able to pop in and grab a few hours with them, but it won’t be really quality time,” our insider continues. “He’ll probably be tired from the shows and the travelling, and they don’t like to disrupt Bear’s routine. It’s going to be really hard on them all, but they’re determined to make the most of the situation.”
However disappointed Cheryl may be, she’s not going to let it ruin the first festive period in years that she’s actually been looking forward to. The star doesn’t have a great history of happy Christmasses. Last year, she was pregnant and, while she was thrilled to finally be getting the family she’d always wanted, she has since admitted she found pregnancy tough and didn’t enjoy it. The year before, her second marriage to Jean-bernard Fernandezversini was coming to an end, meaning another miserable Christmas. But her absolute worst was in 2010, following her split from first husband Ashley Cole. She snubbed her family’s celebrations in Newcastle, because she was so down and didn’t want to ruin it for everyone, and instead spent it on her own at the home she used to share with Ashley. *Sob*.
‘Cheryl’s upset Liam will miss the run-up to Christmas’
She revealed in her autobiography, “On Christmas Day, I cooked myself a ready-prepared turkey in a baking foil tray that I carved with a butter knife because I had no kitchen utensils. I ate it with some vegetables and it was quite nice, actually, but as I finished eating it I got a text from Ashley’s mum. ‘We miss you,’ it said.
“It was harsh to read that, and I started sobbing uncontrollably. I broke down completely, in fact. It was like one of those scenes in the movies. I collapsed on the stairs and was sobbing so hysterically and was so out of control, I couldn’t breathe.”
This year, Cheryl is finally happy, and her Christmas plans reflect that, even if Liam isn’t around during much of December. “She’s going to go all out,” says our source. “She’ll have her mum Joan around as well as [best friends] Kimberley Walsh and Nicola Roberts. Kimberley will be bring her two boys [Bobby, three, and 11-month-old Cole] to play with Bear, and they’ll have some cosy nights in watching Cheryl’s favourite Christmas films, Home
Alone and Love, Actually.” As Liam won’t be there, she’ll be calling in favours from her family (mainly Joan and younger brother Garry) to help decorate her house. In case that sounds a little bit pathetic, let’s remind ourselves of the size of her house – it would take the best part of a day to put up the outside lights. And, being an A-lister, one Christmas tree won’t do for Chezza. “She’s going to have four trees and she wants it to look as magical as possible. No expense will be spared,” our source goes on. “Bear will hopefully be mesmerised by all the lights, and she knows he’ll be spoilt rotten.”
Even with friends and family helping, Cheryl, 34, will have her hands full. “Bear is crawling now and is into everything,” we’re told. “Cheryl says she needs eyes in the back of her head and is worried he’ll pull the decorations down.”
The insider adds, “Cheryl is used to Liam being away, but she wishes he was at home to help her out sometimes. She’s also planning on taking Bear to see Santa, and was hoping they could do it as family. Liam will be back in the UK in the Christmas week, so there is a chance they can do it then. But he would’ve just finished a very hectic tour and will may have jet lag, so it may take him a few days to get into the festive spirit.”