Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole's relationship timeline

Liam Payne and ex Cheryl Cole Their paths first crossed in 2008, but their romance didn't begin until much later.

In 2008, Payne applied to take part X factor for the first time at the age of 14. Cole was one of the judges next to him Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue And Louis Walsh.

“Let’s address the elephant in the room,” Payne said while rewatching his first segment audition esquire in May 2020. “Obviously my son’s future mother is sitting in this chair. This is now a consequence of How I met your motherI think that’s enough.”

While Payne didn't make it the first time, he returned to the show two years later, where Cole continued as a judge. He became a member of One Direction, which later made boy band history.

Related: The best quotes from Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne about co-parenting their son Bear

Although the romance between Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne didn't work out, they were devoted co-parents to their son Bear. The former Girls Aloud star and Payne began dating in February 2015, almost two years before Cole confirmed her pregnancy. “My close friends and family know that there are very few moments when I am speechless… wow!” (…)

Although they knew each other in these early years, Cole and Payne's relationship did not become romantic until almost a decade later. The couple were first linked in 2016 following Cole and his ex-husband's split Jean Bernard Fernandez Versini.

The following year, Cole and Payne had their first child, son Bear. In July 2018, Payne and Cole called it quits. The duo remained amicable as they co-parented son Bear.

In October 2024, Us weekly confirmed that Payne died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Keep scrolling for a look back at Payne and Cole's relationship timeline:

2008

In his X factor At the audition, Payne sang “Fly Me to the Moon.” Frank Sinatra. He winked at Cole as he sang the ballad. After completing his performance, Cole gushed about his talent, calling him “really cute.” Payne made it through to the next round but was axed by Cowell at the Judges' House.

2010

Two years after his first rejection, Payne returned to the show, where Cole was still a judge. He also became a member of One Direction Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson And Zayn Malik.

December 2015

Cole and Payne got back together X factor Finale in which One Direction performed. The two hugged on stage.

February 2016

A month after Cole filed for divorce from Fernandez-Versini, rumors began circulating that she and Payne were dating.

May 2016

The couple made their red carpet debut as a single at the Global Gift Gala in Paris. Cole was awarded the Global Gift Philanthropist Award. Payne went to X to rave about her performance.

“So proud of her tonight 😘😘such a special award #GlobalGiftGala,” he captioned a selfie of him and Cole with their award.

March 2017

After a year of dating, the two announced they were welcoming their son Bear.

“On Wednesday March 22nd, Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy who weighed 8 pounds and looked like a dream,” Cole wrote via Instagram at the time. “Although he still doesn't have a name, he's already stealing hearts. We are all madly in love and extremely happy with our little offspring. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers around the world. A day that now forever has a different meaning for me 💙”

Payne shared his own announcement and gushed about becoming a father.

“My close friends and family know that there are very few moments when I am speechless… wow! I am incredibly happy to welcome our new baby boy into the world,” he wrote. “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.”

July 2018

Payne shared that he and Cole broke up after two years of dating.

“Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It was a hard decision for us,” he wrote about X. “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.”

April 2019

Less than a year after their split, Cole opened up about how she and Payne approach co-parenting.

“(Liam is) a lot softer than me. But it is what it is and I'm okay with that,” she said in an interview with The Telegraph. “When you have a baby, you don’t just have to think about yourself. It's your responsibility to keep things organized and happy, so make the most of everything. And we have that.”

May 2019

The following month, Payne told exclusively Us that Bear is good, but he also has his moments.

“Sometimes he kind of tries to do it with his mom and I say, 'Bear, stop it,'” he said. “He just didn’t want to listen to me today. … He just wants to silence me with his hand. He says, 'Just give me a minute.'” I'm busy.'”

December 2019

While Payne continued Maya HenryHe shared that he planned to spend the holidays with Cole and his son.

“I'm going to go down and visit Bear, maybe cook Christmas dinner and just hang out with the family,” Payne said on the show ITV show. “I like making Sunday roasts. It brings you back to normality. We’re going to go down and cook some good food and hang out.”

March 2020

In honor of British Mother's Day, Payne penned a touching tribute to Cole.

“Today is a doubly special day, thank you to two very special ladies and one very special little man,” he wrote on Right and thank you Cheryl for showing my son all the love in the world.”

July 2023

Payne opened up about how grateful he was to have Cole and Bear by his side while he took a break from the public eye.

“More than anything, I want to thank him and his mother for giving me a little freedom in that moment to get healthy because I had to. There's no point in trying to be a father if you have nothing to teach, and I don't think I really had much to say to him up until that point other than that I cared deeply for him and loved him deeply , which is obviously the most important thing.”