Stay up to date with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Stay up to date with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Stay up to date with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

Liam Payne has died aged 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The One Direction singer was dating influencer Kate Cassidy at the time of his death, while his ex-fiancée Maya Henry issued a cease-and-desist letter last week, claiming the musician had continued to contact her.

Before Liam met Cassidy in October 2022 and Henry in 2019, he was in a relationship with the former X factor Judge Cheryl Cole.

The couple has a seven-year-old son, Bear.

Below we explain the timeline of the couple's unconventional meeting and subsequent relationship.

2008 – Cheryl and Liam meet for the first time on X Factor

Liam was 14 years old when he met X factor Cheryl was a judge for the first time in the fifth season of the popular show in 2008. He sang “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra and winked at the former Girls Aloud singer.

“I think you're really cute, you have charisma and you gave me a cheeky wink,” she said of her first impressions. At the time, Cheryl was married to Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole.

The aspiring musician from Wolverhampton made it to the boot camp stage of the competition before being sent home by Simon Cowell and told to come back in two years.

2010 – One Direction are formed

The singer returned to the show the same year that Cheryl divorced her husband Ashley. While Liam was performing as a solo artist at the time, Pussycat Doll and X factor Judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested forming a band by bringing together solo rejects Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and, of course, Liam.

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2015 – Liam and Cheryl are reunited

One Direction performed at the X factor finale in December 2015, where Cole and Payne reportedly met again. At the time, Cheryl was married to her second husband, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

2016 – Cheryl splits from her second husband amid rumors about Liam Payne and the couple confirm the relationship

The couple split in February amid rumors that Cole was now dating the One Direction star. Payne had shared a series of Instagram pictures dedicated to the singer, including one for International Women's Day in which he called her his “favorite woman in the world.”

Despite a ten-year age difference, the couple made their relationship official in May of that year with a public appearance at the Global Gift Gala in Cannes.

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2017 – Liam and Cheryl welcome their first child

On March 25, 2017, the couple announced the birth of their first child, whom they named Bear. Cheryl shared a picture of Liam holding the newborn.

“My close friends and family know that there are very few moments when I am speechless… wow! “I’m incredibly excited to welcome our new baby boy into the world,” Liam wrote in an emotional post on his Instagram page.

“It is a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life and my fondest memory to date. I am in awe of his incredible mother and how she got through it all. She really made my dreams come true.”

2018 – The couple separates

In July 2018, Liam announced the couple's split in a post on

He wrote: “Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It was a difficult decision for us.

“We still have so much love for each other as a family. The bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we walk through this world together.”

2019 – 2024 New relationships and co-parenting

Following his split from Cheryl, Liam began dating 23-year-old Texas model Maya Henry in 2019 and got engaged the following year. In June 2021, the couple had decided to end their relationship, but rekindled things later that same year before calling off their engagement for the second and final time in May 2022.

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Liam reportedly remained active in his son Bear's life.

“I take my son to school once or twice a week and that is the best. “The relationship we (he and Cheryl) have now as friends has only grown,” he told YouTuber Logan Paul.

“We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy in my life and what I do and I know that he (Bear) will be taken care of. He’s the only thing she cares about and I couldn’t ask for more.”

2024 – Liam suddenly dies in a balcony fall

At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with influencer Kate Cassidy, whom he met in October 2022.

Cheryl has not commented on the death at the time of writing.