NO CHERYL CUSTODY BATTLE

LIAM Payne has ruled out any messy custody battles with ex Cheryl over baby Bear.

The 1D lad believes Chezza is the best person to look after their one-year-old son following their split.

Liam explained: “Babies want their mum – I would never have wanted to get in the way of that.”

Launching a solo career means Liam hasn’t seen as much of his lad as he would have liked. And with the promise of a major 2019 tour, that’s unlikely to change soon. He admitted: “It was actually easier to go out on the road just knowing he wanted his mum.

“Now he looks at me and points at me like: ‘Here’s this fun guy!’ He knows.

“That makes me more upset now, leaving, because I know he’ll want to see me.

“But he’s not at the place yet where he’s crying when I leave; that’s gonna be an absolute disaster; I’m not ready for that.”

Liam has a paternal alter ego when he is at home, Dada Montana – a reference to Miley Cyrus’s TV show Hannah Montana. And in return it seems Bear is a big fan of Liam’s music, even the songs that haven’t cracked the Top 10.

He told People: “I played him demo tapes of Familiar ages ago before it came out.

“Then when it came out, he was like: ‘I remember this one!’

“He goes rigid and like shakes with excitement and wants to get as close to the speaker as possible.

“When you make something that your son loves, it’s the best thing ever.”

Liam plays Hits Radio Live in Manchester this weekend.