How Cheryl is keeping Liam Payne's selfless promise to Bear as she returns to spotlight

It's been ten months since Liam Payne tragically passed away - and his former partner Cheryl is determined to fulfil his wishes when it comes to their son, eight-year-old Bear.

This week, Cheryl announced her first project following Liam's untimely death in October 2024. She has teamed up with skincare giant Nivea, and on Mondaya teaser video was released, showing her walking into a studio before holding up a newspaper featuring the lyrics of her 2009 hit, Fight For This Love, alongside "August 2025", over her face.

According to reports, Cheryl had a "non-negotiable request" when it came to her return to the spotlight - she would only take part if she could have her son Bear by her side.

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An insider told the Daily Mail: "It was very important for Cheryl to have Bear there with her. They are inseparable... As you can imagine it has been the most heartbreaking few months for the two of them and she has done everything she can to support him. She has had some pretty low ebbs herself, but just seeing Bear happy always puts a smile back on her face."

It's clear that Cheryl dotes on her son and she is determined to fulfil Liam's wishes when it comes to their only child.

Liam previously spoke about his wish for Bear to inherit all his money, and sources say Cheryl will 'do the right thing' by ensuring that's exactly what happens.

The One Direction singer, who fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, was declared intestate as he did not have a will. That meant, as an unmarried parent, his estate was to be shared between any children; he only had Bear.

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Cheryl was granted the power of administration of the musician's estate after his death. It is understood Liam's fortune, largely made during his boyband years, was placed in a trust for his son.

The star left a total of £28,595,000, which was later reduced to £24,280,000 after his expenses and debts were paid, according to court documents.

"It is a small consolation that Bear will never want for anything, that he will at least benefit from that. Liam had some very sensible people around him for a time and he adored Bear so much. He always wanted to do the right thing by him financially," a source close to Liam told Mail Online.

Cheryl and Liam welcomed Bear in March 2017 but they went their separate ways when he was just one. The pair remained close, however, and Cheryl's heartbreak was clear following Liam's death.

"As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being," she wrote on Instagram.

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"Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again."

At the time of his death, Liam was dating British-American influencer Kate Cassidy - but speaking he said in his documentary, Ant Middleton and Liam Payne: Straight Talking, he revealed how much he still treasured Cheryl.

"She's one of the most, if not the most, important people in my life. I'm lucky I have someone who understands what I'm going through," he said.

Cheryl, similarly, harboured no ill will. "There's no animosity whatsoever. We are learning all the time. We're just like any other couple that have gone through this, but we have a few more eyes watching us... Just a few."

She told The Sun in 2019: "I'm actually really happy that we can be the way we are. We love and care about each other a lot and we share a child. It's really important that we're able to have a very healthy good relationship." She added: "We're going to be in each other's lives forever so we've got to figure it out and be grown-up about it."

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And Liam once gave fans an insight into their co-parenting agreement. The exes lived close to each other, and while Liam spent regular quality time with Bear, he told how Cheryl had generously given him free rein to do what he wants.

"She is the best mum in the world. I couldn't ask for someone better," he told Logan Paul's podcast Impaulsive. "I get to take my son to school one or two times a week and it's the best thing. The relationship we have now as friends has only grown more.

"We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he's [Bear's] taken care of. He is all she cares about and I couldn't ask for more. They live like three minutes from my house. I always glue myself to where he is. My life now is his. My money is his. He's a lovely, lovely boy. We've been blessed."