For much of Bear Payne’s life, his beloved father Liam was a constant globetrotter, jet-setting across the world, determined to make a success of being a solo artist. But without fail, no matter the distance Liam would need to travel, there was always one time of the year when he made sure he was home to see his son: Christmas Day.
The pair would rip presents open, before enjoying a festive dinner and braving the cold to play with the singer’s giant toy dinosaurs that he kept in his garden.
Imagine, then, the heartache this year for Bear, aged just seven, when he wakes on Christmas morning without the presence of his beloved daddy.
Liam died in October when he fell from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.
The void is one that Bear’s mother, former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, has done her utmost to fill.
I can reveal that the 41-year-old has pulled out every stop so that Bear remembers his father and the many happy times they had together – as well as making new memories as they navigate what is a profound grief.
Liam Payne, pictured with Cheryl, died in October when he fell from a third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cheryl is determined that Bear’s face will light up on Christmas morning. Indeed, the festive period will see visits from all his loved ones, including the Payne family – Liam’s parents Karen and Geoff and the star’s older sisters.
‘It has been a really sad time for Bear and Cheryl,’ says a source close to the Payne family. ‘Cheryl has said it herself but she is trying to work through her son losing his daddy and that will mean there are many milestones to come, the first of which is Christmas.
‘This was the time when Liam would skip over to Cheryl’s and despite them not being together, they would give Bear the most special of days.
‘Wherever Liam was in the world, he’d always make sure to be home to spend Christmas Day with Bear. [Bear] will always have those memories, but now things will be different.’
Despite splitting from Liam in 2018, when Bear was a toddler, Cheryl has remained close to her ex’s family. She has maintained contact with the former One Direction star’s parents and his sisters Ruth and Nicola – though she is said to be closer to the former.
Bear, who turns eight in March, also gets on well with Ruth and Nicola’s children, and this year they will all come together.
Also expected to be there is Cheryl’s mother Joan, who spends a lot of time with her grandson, travelling from Newcastle to Cheryl’s home in Buckinghamshire.
Bear will also, at some point, see the sons of Cheryl’s best friend and fellow Girls Aloud member Kimberley Walsh – Bobby, seven, Cole, five, and Nate, three.
Liam always made sure he was at home with Bear, pictured as a baby, every Christmas Day
‘Cheryl has gone to great lengths to ensure Liam isn’t forgotten,’ adds the source. ‘She has been careful not to spoil Bear, given he is the son of two wealthy people, but this year is going to be tough and everyone wants to see a smile on Bear’s face. He has had an utterly heartbreaking few months.’
Indeed, Bear – who stands to inherit the £30 million his father made during his boyband years – will not be overly indulged. I am told Cheryl’s sensible parenting has helped Bear become an ‘adorably lovely and polite’ little boy.
Liam, though, was far from a traditional dad, and he acknowledged himself that he was more ‘rock ‘n’ roll’. While he would regularly call Bear and certainly didn’t shirk parental responsibility, he was rarely present in-person.
Christmas, though, was different, and those who knew Liam describe him as always being like a ‘big kid’ during the festive period.
That tendency only became more pronounced when Bear came along. In 2019, when Bear was two, Liam said: ‘It’s the first time [Bear] really gets Christmas now. I want to see if he actually gets unwrapping presents this year though, because otherwise, it’ll just be Cheryl by the tree again.
‘I can really remember it from last year. She wrapped them all up and then unwrapped them and I just sat there going, ‘Right, what is this?’ Cheryl – who first met Liam when he auditioned for The X Factor in 2009 – has been described by Liam’s circle as the ‘matriarch’ since his untimely death. She was key in organising his funeral and has been a genuine comfort to the late star’s loved ones.
‘Some might think that is a bit odd given they split up so long ago,’ one friend tells me.
‘But it’s all for Bear. She is determined he will have as wonderful an upbringing as possible, and is also supporting those who need it.’
One person who won’t be at the Christmas celebrations, however, is Liam’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.
The 25-year-old, an American influencer, had been dating Liam for two years but it’s thought she and Bear never met.
The first time she met Liam’s parents was understood to be at his funeral.
‘Liam’s family didn’t really know Kate,’ an insider with knowledge of Liam’s final months says. ‘She was with Liam and they knew of her, but they were often abroad.
‘Kate is going home to the States for Christmas, she is devastated and needs her own family right now.’ Meanwhile, questions continue to haunt the Payne family over the last few weeks of Liam’s life, which saw him become increasingly out of control and depressed. A post-mortem examination found alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system.
Three people have been charged in connection with his death, two for supplying narcotics and another for the abandonment of a person followed by death.
A source said: ‘It is difficult for the family to think about the last weeks of his life in Argentina. It all became rather grubby and sad.
‘It is devastating for them. Things got very difficult for him and they feel Liam was let down.
‘It’s not surprising they would want to hold on to nice memories of him, which Bear represents.’