Cheryl and Liam Payne’s relationship is on the verge of collapse – and the warning signs have been there for a while
CHERYL and Liam Payne's relationship is on the rocks as they struggle to balance parenthood with their careers - and the warning signs have been there for some time.
The couple have only shared nine pictures of themselves together on social media since March 2016, and they haven't been seen together in public since the X Factor in October last year.
Liam's social channels have been full of posts plugging his steamy Fifty Shades track, For You, with Rita Ora since the turn of the year.
While the pair performed a very raunchy duet on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Show which ended with the pair nearly kissing, raising eyebrows among fans.
Cheryl's last public display of support for Liam was back in January when she backed the song in a tweet.
The mother-of-one has been keeping a low profile back in the UK looking after Bear and quietly working on her new music, while Liam has been sharing snaps of himself hanging out with the likes of Charlie Puth, Idris Elba and Ed Sheeran.
He's also been mocked by fans for boastful posts about his lavish lifestyle, with a snap of him flipping the bird and bragging about flying on a private jet quickly deleted following a fan backlash.
The feed is more in keeping with a jet-setting bachelor than a content family man.
Aside from a Valentine's post of son Bear in a themed baby grow in which Liam joked he had competition for Cheryl's affections, the last time the star directly referred to his girlfriend was as the Brits launch on January 14 when he said: "I do miss my son from time-to-time when I'm away.
"But I know he's got the best mum in the world and Cheryl is on my mind as well and she's absolutely amazing."
Strangely, the pair didn't share anything over Christmas either, with the couple's Surrey mansion lacking the fancy festive lights that covered it the previous year.
Yesterday The Sun exclusively reported how Cheryl and Liam are preparing to end their relationship which has been on the rocks for some weeks.
The former One Direction star, 24, and Cheryl, 34, have held crisis talks but are ready to split, pals fear.
The success of the former One Direction singer’s solo career has meant Cheryl, is left with their 11-month-old son Bear for weeks at a time.
The unmarried couple have been battling to stay together — staging crisis talks this week about their future after Liam returned to Britain from touring.
But friends fear they may be unable to salvage it long-term and are ready to call time on their troubled relationship.
Sources claimed they would probably already have done so if it was not for their young son.
Cheryl’s 10-year age gap over Liam, 24, has also believed to have made things increasingly difficult for the pair.
Last night a source close to the couple revealed: “There’s a big age gap between them. If they didn’t have Bear then they would have most likely split up by now.
“But they love their son. And they do care for each other so it’s now a matter of seeing if there’s a final way forward to try and make it work.”
Last year, Liam, admitted Cheryl had taken on most of the childcare duties while he was working away on new music in LA.
He said: “Obviously, she supported me going off and doing my career and stuff, so she’s been amazing.
“What I’ve learnt about being a dad is how hard it is to be a mum and she hasn’t had any help from anybody and she’s done it all herself.”
Sources insist the couple, who have been together for two years, have had no major rows — and neither has had an affair.
They say the pair are determined to stay close for the sake of Bear, even celebrating Valentine’s Day together at their Surrey mansion.
Our source added: “Liam and Cheryl held crisis talks about their future this week after he made a point of spending Valentine’s Day with her.
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“They haven’t split but have addressed the fact they have work to do on the relationship and both want to work things out.
“He is away a lot. She knew he would be away a lot for work but the actual reality is tough.
“She also wants to get back to work so that comes into it as well. They have a child together so have been trying to make it work for some time. There hasn’t been a big falling out or anything like that. They hope there is a way forward and that’s what they’ve been discussing.”
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