More relationship dramz for Cheryl – apparently it’s Liam Payne who has lost the enthusiasm, not her
The star won’t let her relationship issues get her down
There’s no denying that Cheryl has a lot on her plate at the moment. Last week, she sparked fresh speculation that she was battling to save her two-year relationship with Liam Payne, following reports he’d “gone cold” on her. But despite her personal life seemingly in turmoil, the singer managed to put on a brave face to attend the Prince’s Trust Awards. Looking gorgeous in a pastel Missoni dress, she smiled widely as she caught up with Prince Charles, who praised her for making “such a difference” with her Cheryl’s Trust charity.
Last week, heat reported how the 34 year old was going all-out to save her relationship with Liam, especially for the sake of their 11-month-old son Bear. She even put on a show of support for him at the BRITS recently, where he was nominated for two awards. But, last week, a source told a newspaper that her efforts could be all be in vain, saying, “Up until now, everyone has assumed that it was Cheryl who had gone cold on the relationship, but it’s the other way around. Liam appears more committed to a pop-star lifestyle than becoming a real family man.” They added, “When everyone started talking about their problems, it was her worst nightmare, and she’s become determined to make it work to prove the doubters wrong. But friends think that is impossible.”
We’re told that, while Cheryl’s relationship is in a difficult place, she obviously wants to make it work and is determined not to give in , so she has turned to self-help books and websites to try to maintain some calm in her life. She’s even looking to famous celebrity divorcées Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin for inspiration, just in case things don’t work out with Liam.
“Cheryl’s become obsessed with Gwyneth’s Goop site, because she
really admires how Gwyneth and Chris handled their split,” our source says. “She sees how close they both are now and how they spend time together with their children, and Cheryl thinks that’s really positive and a much more modern approach to splitting up. She still really wants to work things out with Liam one way or another. Ideally, she’s hoping they can work through their issues, but if they can’t, she’s going to do everything she can to make sure they can co-parent Bear and remain friends. She feels that the more she reads up on all this the better. She wants to be prepared for every possible outcome, so that she can be strong whatever happens.”
And Cheryl’s relationship difficulties have come at a particularly stressful time in her life, as she launches her big musical return. “She’s been under a lot of pressure from the record company to finish her album, which isn’t helping matters,” our source tells us. “A lot of money has been spent on her comeback – hiring the best producers, music video budgets – so there’s a lot riding on it.”
Cheryl last released music in 2015 and she is said to be concerned about how her comeback will be received. To help get as much publicity as possible, she’s set to re-join The X Factor as a judge when auditions begin early in the summer, meaning she’ll have even more to juggle. “Cheryl already feels as though she’s been out of the game for quite a while. There’s so much pressure on her to succeed, so reading stories about her being dropped if she doesn’t have a hit are not helping,” our insider adds. “She knows she needs The X Factor, as it will give her a big platform to perform on and drum up interest in her music, but it’s going to mean long days and time away from Bear, which she is not really used to.” ■ KATIE HOLLOWAY
‘There is so much pressure on her to succeed’