Liam Payne gushed about his son Bear on Thursday as he shared a rare update on his 31st birthday.
The former One Direction singer shares a seven-year-old son with his ex Cheryl, 41, and both have chosen to keep him out of the public eye.
But Liam has shared new details with fans about his rarely seen son, claiming he now looks like a “mini me”.
In an Instagram clip, he said: “I haven’t gotten any socks from daddy yet. I’m going to talk to my son in a little while and I’m so excited. God bless him. He’s so big now.”
“He’s a big boy and he looks like a miniature me. As if we needed more of me in the world.”
Liam Payne gushed over his son Bear on Thursday as he shared a rare update on his 31st birthday.
The former One Direction singer shares his seven-year-old son with his ex Cheryl, 41, and both have chosen to keep him out of the public eye.
Cheryl and Liam began dating after her split from ex-husband Jean Fernandez-Versini, whom she divorced in 2016.
Bear was born in 2017 to Cheryl and Liam, whom she met when he was a contestant on The X Factor and she was a judge the following year.
Liam celebrated his 31st birthday in style alongside his girlfriend Kate Cassidy in Manchester on Thursday.
The singer, who enjoyed a day out on the town, cut a relaxed figure in a light grey Cole Buxton hoodie and black cargo pants.
She paired a pair of black and white sneakers with her casual ensemble as she strolled through the streets of Manchester hand-in-hand with Kate.
Meanwhile, Kate, 25, also cut a casual figure in a grey zip-up cropped jacket and wore a chocolate-coloured gilet underneath.
She paired a pair of light grey drawstring sweatpants with the jacket and carried her essentials in a beige striped handbag.
To complete her look, Kate pulled her blonde hair back into a sleek ponytail and sported a pair of oval sunglasses.
His exit comes after Liam was criticised for making a “misogynistic” comment towards his girlfriend Kate.
The One Direction star went viral on social media after Kate shared a TikTok video of the pair showing off their outfits ahead of a date night in Manchester.
Liam said: “He’s a big boy and he looks like a miniature me. Like we need more of me in the world.”
Liam Payne dated Cheryl for two and a half years and they have a son named Bear, 7. However, they split in 2018 (both pictured here in 2016)
As Kate described her outfit (a fitted black vest and shorts), Liam stared blankly into the camera and said: “Looking nice, cute and covered up for once.”
Fans were shocked by the comment and took to X to point out the hypocritical nature of his comment, given that he posed shirtless and previously released the single Strip That Down.
They commented: “Looking good, nice and covered for once” ???? Girl I know you fake that laugh at the end”; “meanwhile these are his Instagram stories”; the fact that he always claimed to be the “nice” and “kind” one from 1d… ugh! A raging misogynist soon to become a raging misogynist (sic).”
However, some fans came to her defence, posting: “So many people think they know exactly what’s going on based on a 6 second video. It’s disgusting how so many people find it so easy to hate. Shame on them.”
“Why do people get so upset when a guy expresses how he likes his girlfriend to dress? Obviously, she still dresses however she wants.”
Despite the controversy, Kate and Liam, who were first linked in October 2022, proved all was well between them when they were photographed later in the evening holding hands at Sexy Fish.
MailOnline has contacted Liam’s representatives for comment.
Last month it was reported that Liam’s plans to tell all in an upcoming documentary had been put on hold due to his poor health and his decision to focus on his music.
He was set to reveal details about his life in the boyband and his addiction problems, however, The Sun claimed that plans for the film had been put on hold and Liam decided not to go ahead with the project.
The star’s idea for the documentary came about in April 2023 after attending the premiere of her former bandmate Louis Tomlinson’s film All of Those Voices.
It was claimed that Liam had already started having talks with producers, however, the star has now reportedly decided to focus on his music and his health.
A source told the publication: ‘This time last year, Liam was excited about his return and teasing new music, but then his health deteriorated.’
His exit comes after Liam was criticised for making a “misogynistic” comment towards his girlfriend Kate in a viral TikTok video.
As Kate described her outfit (a fitted black vest and capri pants), Liam stared blankly into the camera and said, “Looking nice and covered up for once.”
Kate and Liam were first linked in October 2022 and the couple split after 10 months of dating. However, they got back together shortly after (pictured in 2023)
“There are hours and hours of footage and there was interest from several production companies, but in the end he decided not to take things any further.”
They added: “Although he’s doing much better than he was at the end of last year, Liam is still taking some time to focus on himself. His return is a moving film, but the plan is to release new music in the next two months.”
The film was reportedly expected to be released on Netflix or Prime Video around the same time as the release of her second album.
It’s been a tough year health-wise for the star after he was hospitalised with a kidney infection in Italy last summer.
He was forced to cancel his tour after doctors ordered him to “rest and recuperate.”
Sharing a video to announce the news, Liam told his fans: “This is really the last news I want to tell you guys but basically I’ve been a bit sick lately.”
“I ended up in hospital with a severe kidney infection. We started rehearsals and I’ve been told that now is not the right time to travel while I recover from this.”
“I have the best people around me at home trying to help me recover as we speak, but yes, we’re going to have to reschedule the tour.”