Cheryl’s “helpless and hurt’ over Liam and Rita
As her boyfriend Liam Payne and singer Rita Ora forge a close friendship, pals say Cheryl is angered by gossip that it could lead to something more
Their friendship T blossomed after collaborating on a sultry new song for the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack, and old friends Liam Payne and Rita Ora have admitted to “having fun” working together. But insiders tell Closer that, while the pair have been promoting their single For You, Liam’s girlfriend Cheryl, 34 – with whom he has 10-monthold son Bear – has been angered by trolls suggesting there could be something more than a friendship between them. A source says, “Liam and Rita have been spending a lot of time working together recently, and they’ve even got plans to perform their song together in the US. They’ve been casual friends over the years and they’re really looking forward to sharing the stage. They’ve been bouncing around ideas on how they should perform the song together. “Cheryl’s really happy for him as his career is going from strength to strength, but she can’t help but feel angry at some of the insinuations being made by others. Liam knows it’s upsetting and has reassured her. He’s even said Cheryl should join him and Rita for a night out, but it’s hard as she’s so busy focusing on her comeback and looking after Bear.”
CUTE COUPLE
Earlier this month, Liam, 24, uploaded a stream of posts on Instagram about their collaboration, boasting that he’d had “so much fun in the studio” with Rita, 27. One video showed them lying on the floor together as they laughed and joked while recording their vocals.
Then, last week, the pair were also seen getting on famously at a London Fashion Week dinner after hitting the town together.
Fans were quick to speculate over the blossoming friendship, with one writing online, “Liam better behave. Rita is known for enticing men with her ho-ish [sic] ways.” Another added, “Liam and Rita make a cute couple. Bet he secretly wishes the two of them had met before he got Chezza up the duff. Cheryl must
find it hard stuck in with a baby while Liam’s out with Rita and still having a social life.” And one posted, “I find it odd that Cheryl never socialises with ‘her man’.”
Pals say the speculation has been hurtful for Cheryl, and while she completely trusts Liam, she’s upset by trolls inferring he would be interested in Rita, who last week uploaded a racy selfie to Instagram to promote lingerie brand Tezenis.
The source says, “Cheryl has been upset by the gossip. All these suggestions that she needs to watch her man are really hurtful and she hates to think that people are talking about Liam and Rita.
“Things between Cheryl and Liam are solid, and she knows nothing can come between them. But it’s tormenting her and she feels helpless about how to stop the rumours. Liam’s tried to put her mind at rest, but she knows the gossip will get worse once the song is out.
CONCERNED
“It’s frustrating as she knows people put two and two together and get five. It was the same when she recorded with [rapper] Wretch 32 [in 2012], people thought there must be something going on just because they were seen out together. Now it’s the same with Liam and Rita.”
While she’s always kept her love life private, Rita’s been linked to a range of stars, including Drake, Bruno Mars and Gerard Butler. She had a short-lived romance with Rob Kardashian in 2012 – which quickly turned sour, with Rob Tweeting, “She cheated on me with nearly 20 dudes”. She then dated Calvin Harris for over a year before a bitter break-up, and was also rumoured to be the ‘other woman’ – “Becky with the good hair” – that Beyoncé sings about in Lemonade, which hints that her husband Jay Z cheated.
Last year, Closer reported how Cheryl was concerned that it would be hard while Liam was away on tour, and insiders say the social media response to his new friendship is another challenge.
The source adds, “It’s confirmed to Cheryl once again that she doesn’t want a longdistance relationship or to see Liam living his life without her and Bear by his side.”