Bear Grey Payne: Everything we know about Liam Payne and Cheryl's son

Bear is now seven-years-old!

Author: Alex RossPublished 22nd Mar 2024

Bear Grey Payne is one of the most mysterious celebrity children in the world! His mum Cheryl Tweedy kept her pregnancy almost entirely secret, whilst Bear's dad, former One Direction star Liam Payne, also keep shtum.

Since Bear's birth in 2017, Cheryl and Liam have kept their son mostly out of the spotlight - other than a few pictures of his cute little hands and feet on Instagram, and THAT adorable clip of him talking. Now that Girls Aloud have reunited and are going on tour in 2024, and Liam has just dropped his new single 'Teardrops', fans are wondering if they'll get more Bear content.

How did they announce his birth?

To announce his birth, Liam and Cheryl shared a polaroid photo on Instagram of Liam holding the little'un. Liam wrote: 'My close friends and family know there are very few times when I'm left speechless... wow!

'I'm incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world, it's a moment that I will never forget for the rest of my life and my favourite memory I have so far.

'I'm completely in awe of his incredible mother and how she has been the whole way through this, she's really made my dreams come true. We haven't named him yet but he's already capturing hearts including mine. I feel very blessed.

'Happy Mother's Day everyone!'

When was Bear Grey Payne born?

Cheryl and Liam's son Bear was born on Wednesday 22nd March 2017, making him currently seven-years-old. Sharing the above photo on Instagram, Liam and Cheryl both took to the social media site to post about their new arrival before throwing a 'meet the baby' party.

Cheryl wrote: 'On Wednesday 22nd March Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream. Although he still doesn't have a name he is already stealing hearts.

'We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever 💙'.

Why did they name him Bear?

Liam and Cheryl announced the unusual name Bear Grey Payne a few weeks after his birth, and both have revealed the inspiration behind the unique moniker. In an interview on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Liam opened up about baby name inspiration.

He said: "You know what? When he was born, I think one of the midwives said it, he actually has this thing where if they don't have a good cry, they get fluid on their lungs which is quite serious.

"So he was going 'grrr', growling away when he was sleeping, so I had specialists running in and out of the hospital while my missus was asleep and he was being checked over, and they were like, 'Oh, I'm not really sure, we'll get someone else in.'

"And I had like, ten doctors coming in the room and in the end, one guy was like, 'Dude I'm not being funny, there's nothing wrong with him, just likes to make a lot of noise'. And that's carried on ever since, so he just became Bear."

Cheryl also opened up about his name in an interview on Lorraine in October 2017, telling Simon Cowell she didn't want Bear to have a common name.

But she echoed Liam's original story in November 2019, speaking on RuPaul's What's The Tee podcast about Bear's name: "When I was in the hospital, he used to make these noises. We had specialists coming in to see what was going on, he was breathing like – quite cute but nothing worrisome.

"It was just him. The midwife used to come in and say: ‘How’s the little bear?’ I didn’t have the name prior… I couldn’t get the nickname out of my mind. We toyed with others but I didn’t want him to be the third and such and such in his class. I wanted him to have a unique name."

What does Bear Payne look like?

Good question! Cheryl and Liam have chosen to keep their son out of the spotlight as much as possible, and only show small glimpses of him in their photos on social media. Liam celebrated his 24th birthday in August 2017 - his first as a father to Bear, and used the occasion as an excuse to share a snap of his son.

Pictures of Bear Grey Payne

The 'Strip That Down' singer took to Instagram to tell his fans he's had the 'best birthday ever', but it was the cute photo that really sent his fans into meltdown. Liam shared two photos of his tattooed hand along with baby Bear's cute hand - or should we say paw!

Liam previously shared a photo of Bear wearing some cute trainers with a matching pair for himself, when the singer returned home from America, and his former 1D bandmate Niall Horan also bought Bear some trainers!

Some fans also caught sight of Bear whilst sharing the same flight as Cheryl and her son once from the Maldives when he was very little. Cheryl also once shared an adorable story about how Bear had made friends on another flight to LA.

Although they are few and far between, Liam and Cheryl have continued to very occasionally post photos of their son. On Valentine's Day 2018, Liam shared a photo of Bear wearing an adorable top, with the caption: 'Happy Valentine's Day @CherylOfficial and everyone. Looks like I've got the big guy to compete with now'.

He also shared another photo of Bear on his first birthday, despite the fact that he couldn't be there himself for the big day - which unfortunately happened once again on Bear's second birthday. He wrote: 'Can’t believe my little man is one today, where does the time go? Happy birthday son you’re my world🌍🐻.'

Cheryl shared a few photos of her son on her Instagram Story on New Year's Day 2018, which fans absolutely adored! He also appeared in a video on her Instagram Story on her birthday.

But the cutest photo of all has to be the one Liam shared a few days before his 26th birthday in 2019, posting a picture of himself teaching Bear to play the piano.

Cheryl also posted an adorable photo of her and Bear's matching Christmas pyjamas in December 2019, and also shared a cute snap of herself and Bear enjoying themselves at Winter Wonderland.

It was a similar story for Christmas 2022, as Cheryl posted a video to her Instagram featuring Bear meeting Santa during a festive trip to Lapland.

Cheryl, who took the trip with her BFF Kimberley Walsh and her three young sons, wrote on Instagram: 'Thank you for the Christmas magic💫✨🥰 @laplanduk

'Wishing you all the warmest wishes for Christmas 🎄🎅🏼🤶🏼🙏🏼'. (sic)

Bear attended Cheryl's 40th birthday celebrations at the beginning of July 2023, where he briefly appeared on his mum's Instagram Reel, wearing the most adorable black suit.

To celebrate the release of his new single 'Teardrops' in March 2024, Liam shared a cute new photo of Bear looking at his dad's Spotify billboard.

He captioned the shot with: 'I want to be on a billboard one day daddy 🐻 ❤️'.

What does Bear Payne sound like?

In April 2020, Cheryl uploaded a video of herself and Bear having a conversation to her Instagram Story. Although she kept the camera on her own face, Bear's cute little voice could be heard for the first time, as he shouts, "I want to go to the park".

But of course, with the lockdown rules in April 2020, Cheryl was quick to remind Bear that wasn't possible, suggesting a walk instead, to which he quickly agreed by saying: "Let's go for a walk... yes!"

Fans were over the moon at hearing Bear's little Geordie accent for the first time.

In December 2020, Cheryl shared another adorable video of Bear's little voice, this time of him recreating iconic Home Alone line 'filthy animals'.

In the video, Bear can be heard shouting: "Merry Christmas you filthy animals and a Happy New Year", just like Kevin McCallister does in the popular festive movie.

Does Bear go to school?

During an interview on Good Morning America in September 2020, Liam seemed to suggest Bear had just started school! He said: "I've just had a birthday, my son has gone to school for the first time. So it seems like a lot of firsts for me really actually which is great!"

However, it is most likely Liam meant his son had started nursery at the time, as the school starting age in the UK is four-years-old.

Although Bear is now seven, it's not been made public which school he attends.

Why do Cheryl and Liam not post photos of Bear?

The answer to this is very simple - they want to give him as normal a life as possible. Speaking to The Telegraph in September 2017, Liam said: "We’ve only shown him in glimpses. We don’t want him to have the pressure that me and Cheryl have, as household names. We want him to enjoy himself first and then figure it out."

However, Liam has always been more forthcoming with details and stories about his son, despite Cheryl wanting him not to, including one about teaching Bear another language and another about him communicating with ghosts! Liam has also revealed that Bear becomes emotional when they sing, opened up about when Bear took his first steps and said his first word, and admitted that being a father has made him a better person.

The former couple also gush about their son often in interviews, although Liam did admit he 'struggled to bond' with Bear, due to Cheryl always being with him after the birth. However, Liam often praises Cheryl's skills as a mother and also posted a beautiful tribute to her on Mother's Day 2020 - which happened to fall on Bear's third birthday.

Speaking to Tings Magazine in November 2020, Liam also spoke about the former couple's decision to keep Bear out of the spotlight. He said: "I get to be a dad and have a family in that way, that's complete opposite of that zone.

"It's mine for my own, except for Cheryl and Bear."

Does Bear know he has famous parents?

It sounds like he does! After Girls Aloud reunited and took part in an interview with British Vogue to celebrate, Cheryl revealed her son is now aware that he has a famous mum and dad.

She told the publication: “The problem is that I want Bear to have a normal childhood. I don’t want people recognising him on the street. But he’s twigged that I’m famous. The other day he said, ‘How lucky am I to have famous parents?’ I said, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ He goes: ‘Yeah. But it’s pretty cool.’”

Cheryl Tweedy and Liam Payne relationship timeline:

December 2015

During the final of The X Factor 2015, when Cheryl was a judge on the show, Liam was spotted dancing with the singer to Jason Derulo's track 'Talk Dirty To Me' after the show ended.


Despite looking very friendly together, nobody suspected a relationship between the two.

February 2016

Cheryl uploaded a photo of herself getting ready for The BRIT Awards in 2017, with Liam commenting on her photo with the cheeky caption, 'See you there babe!'.

February 2016

Despite rumours circulating that the pair could be dating, Cheryl and Liam walked the BRITs red carpet separately in 2016. Instead, Liam was joined by his former One Direction band mate Louis Tomlinson.

February 2016

It's official! On the last day of February in 2016, Liam and Cheryl made their relationship public when Liam updated his social media photos to this cute snap.


The singer also updated his social media bios to read, 'Happy'.

March 2016

Cheryl and Liam went Instagram official when Liam uploaded this photo of the pair posing in the back of a car.

March 2016

Liam sent 'Cheriam' fans into complete meltdown when he shared a photo of Cheryl to his social media accounts to celebrate International Women's Day.


Alongside the photo, he wrote the cute caption of, 'Happy #internationalwomensday to my favourite woman in the world 😘😘 hope I make you as happy as u make me X'. sic

March 2016

Cheryl and Liam made their first public appearance together in March 2016. Looking incredibly loved up, the pair enjoyed a meal together at a restaurant in London, with Cheryl sporting a massive necklace with the word 'love'.

April 2016

After only a few months of dating, Cheryl's friend and former X Factor boss Simon Cowell spoke about her romance with Liam.


He said, "I saw them together and we had a really nice dinner ... They were on good form. They're like two little chipmunks madly in love. Literally they were so cute. But importantly they both seemed very happy over here and very relaxed. I'm happy for them."

May 2016

Cheryl and Liam made their first ever red carpet appearance during the Global Gift Gala in Paris, France.


Gazing into each other's eyes, the couple looked more loved up than ever.

May 2016

Liam posted a selfie of the pair on a private jet travelling to France ahead of the Cannes Film Festival.

May 2016

The couple made their second red carpet appearance in just one month when they appeared at the Cannes Film Festival.


Liam was supporting Cheryl who was attending the event as part of her brand ambassador role for L'Oreal.

July 2016

Cheryl and Liam moved in together, with Cheryl announcing the news with a funny message on Instagram. Sharing this photo of Liam with her beloved dog, she wrote, 'Our new family member 🐶😁😍😭 he is beyond cute.. 😩 the dog is adorable too 😏 @toosmallforteacups thank you ❤️. sic

September 2016

Rumours started in the press that Cheryl was pregnant with Liam's child after she was spotted with a 'fuller figure' at a L'Oreal event in Paris.

September 2016

Liam fueled the pregnancy rumours even further when he changed his Instagram bio to read, 'The luckiest man alive'.


He then uploaded this cute photo of the pair wearing face masks, declaring how much he misses his girlfriend. He wrote, 'I miss you!...the things you make me do🤓😋 home soon!'.

October 2016

Cheryl's divorce from her ex-husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini was finalised, with the former couple being granted a 'quickie divorce'.

November 2016

After months of rumours surrounding her pregnancy, Cheryl and Liam seemed to confirm them when they stepped out hand-in-hand at the Fayre of St James' Christmas Concert in London.


Cheryl made the decision to leave her long coat open as she 'showed off' her small baby bump to fans and press.

December 2016

Amidst all of the rumours, Cheryl and Liam posted some playful selfies to their social media accounts to celebrate their first ever Christmas together.

February 2017

It's official - Cheryl and Liam are having a baby!


After not attending The BRIT Awards in 2017, Cheryl seemed to confirm her pregnancy once and for all when she posed in a photo holding her large bump for a new L'Oreal campaign.

March 2017

After months of speculation, Cheryl and Liam confirmed to the world that they've welcomed a baby boy called Bear Grey Payne.


Revealing he was born on Wednesday 22nd March, Cheryl wrote, 'Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy, weighing 7lb 9 and looking like a dream. Although he still doesn't have a name he is already stealing hearts. We are all madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world. A day that now has a different meaning to me forever 💙'. sic

June 2017

Breaking her social media silence for the first time since welcoming baby Bear, Cheryl uploaded a snap of Liam to wish him a Happy Father's Day.


She wrote, 'Happy 1st Father's Day Liam.. You are the most amazing daddy and the best example for our son. The way he looks at you says it all. Your relationship melts my heart. You are the centre of his world & We adore you 🐻🌎💙'.

July 2017

After months of staying out of the public eye, Cheryl shared a cute photo of herself and Liam enjoying a date night without baby Bear.

October 2017

As Liam started to release his debut solo music, including songs like 'Strip That Down', 'Get Low' and 'Bedroom Floor', Cheryl couldn't resist gushing about her man's handsome looks.


Sharing this photo, Cheryl wrote, 'I had to .. I mean 👀 come onnnn 😩😍'.

February 2018

After months of no social posts and no public appearances, fans started to think Liam and Cheryl were having relationship issues.
That was until Liam posted this adorable photo of his son Bear to help wish Cheryl a Happy Valentine's Day. He wrote, 'Happy Valentine's Day @cherylofficial and everyone. looks like I've got the big guy to compete with now 🤷🏻‍♂️😂😂😂'.

February 2018

Cheryl sent fans into meltdown when she appeared to be wearing an engagement ring on her ring finger as she met Prince Charles.


Representatives for the couple later explained Cheryl's choice of jewellery was simply 'costume jewellery'.

February 2018

Stories in the press suggested Liam and Cheryl's relationship had come to an end due to the pair's busy work schedules.

February 2018

Shutting down split rumours, the couple attended The BRIT Awards 2018 together, putting on a very loved up display on the red carpet.

February 2018

After certain news outlets claimed Cheryl and Liam's public display of affection at The BRIT Awards 2018 was a 'stunt', Cheryl angrily hit back on Twitter, calling it 'ludicrous and weird'.

May 2018

Liam spent a lot of time in America as he promoted his solo music, leaving Cheryl and Bear at home.

June 2018

After not being seen together for four months, fans started to speculate a split when Liam failed to publicly address Cheryl's birthday on the 30th June.

July 2018

After two years together, on Sunday 1st July both Cheryl and Liam announced they had split. Releasing a joint statement on Twitter, it read, 'We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.' [sic

NOW WATCH: Cheryl opens up about being a mum to baby Bear

Now read:

Cheryl: Everything you need to know about the Girls Aloud singer

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