Mate, I’ve been following Liam Payne from his X Factor days in 2010. Watched him go from that nervous teenager to the One Direction superstar and solo artist. But nothing, and I mean nothing, transformed him the way becoming a dad did.
You should have seen his face in interviews after Bear was born. Completely different bloke. The cocky pop star was gone; in his place was this soppy dad who wouldn’t stop grinning whenever someone mentioned his son.
Liam shot to fame with One Direction; you know the drill. Five lads, frenzied girls, sold-out arenas around the world. Once they went on hiatus, he did his solo thing pretty well. Strip That Down was a proper banger, wasn’t it? But ask any fan what really changed him, and they’ll tell you it was becoming father to his Liam Payne son.
How Old is Liam Payne’s Son Right Now?
Right, straight answer first because I know that’s what you are here for. Bear Grey Payne age is 8 years old as of September 2025. Born on 22nd March 2017, making him an Aries, the fiery sign, probably.
Mad to believe it’s been eight years since that announcement broke the internet. I was at home, drinking my morning coffee, when Cheryl posted about their baby arriving. Nearly spat it out when I saw the news trending everywhere.
Liam Payne Son Bear’s Big Arrival
Liam Payne and Cheryl’s son came into this world weighing 7 lb 9 oz. Cheryl’s announcement was cute about welcoming their “incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy“ who was already “stealing hearts”. She didn’t even mention his name straight away, which got everyone speculating like mad.
Wasn’t the entire pregnancy pretty hush-hush? One minute, we’re all wondering if Liam and Cheryl were ever actually a thing, and next, there’s a baby on the way. They played the standard celeb move to keep us all guessing.
Bear Grey Payne; what a name when you first hear it, yet somehow it was just right for him. His mum’s Cheryl Cole from Girls Aloud (proper legend), and his dad is Liam from 1D. Kid has some serious musical genes there.
What I loved about their approach was how they tried to keep everything normal despite having millions in the bank and paparazzi following their every move. It can’t have been easy.
When Mum and Dad Split Up
Here’s where it gets tricky. Liam and Cheryl split in 2018 when Bear was still a toddler. But here’s where they both also deserve huge credit; they dealt with it like total pros.
No messy celebrity breakup drama that we’re used to seeing. No slagging each other off in the papers, no custody battles across the front page. Just two adults putting their kid first.
I recall watching Liam in interviews after they split. He always said Bear was “our world”; not just his world, but their world together. That takes real maturity when your personal life is being picked apart in tabloids every day.”
Cheryl was equally classy about the whole thing. She’d talk about how crucial it was for Bear to have both parents properly involved. No drama, no point-scoring; just getting on with raising their boy.
My cousin went through a messy divorce around the same time, and she’d always point to Liam and Cheryl as examples of how to do it right. “Look at them,” she’d say. “That’s how you put your kids first.”
Liam Being a Dad
This is what got me every single time. You’d see Liam in interviews before Bear, all swagger and chat about music and fame. After Bear? Complete melt.
I watched this one interview where they asked about fatherhood. Liam’s whole face just lit up like Christmas morning. Started rambling about bedtime stories and teaching Bear about football. Proper dad behaviour.
“Being a father changes everything,” he said once. Not in that fake celebrity way either; you could tell he meant every word. The man was absolutely gone on his little boy.
He’d mention the random stuff too. How Bear would copy his dance moves, ask a million questions about everything, and laugh at the silliest things. Normal kid stuff that somehow seemed magical when Liam talked about it.
Remember that story about Bear’s first word? Liam was made up it was “Dada”. Nearly cried telling that story on some chat show. Soppy git, but in the best possible way.
Does Liam Payne Share Photos of His Son?
Smart question, this one. Both Liam and Cheryl were dead careful about Bear’s privacy. Rarely posted photos, and when they did, you’d never see his face properly.
There was this one picture Liam shared of Bear’s tiny hand holding his finger. Broke the internet, that did. Everyone was going mad over how cute it was. Another time, he posted Bear from behind, looking out at their garden. Nothing revealing, just a dad proud of his son. Simple but lovely.
The last proper glimpse I remember was from Liam’s birthday celebration. Again, nothing too personal; just Bear and his dad having a moment together. Made me think of my own dad, actually.
Both parents were brilliant about protecting Bear’s privacy. No school details, no daily routine stuff, and definitely no face shots for the world to see. They wanted him growing up as normal as possible, given who his parents were.
Can’t blame them really. Imagine being 8 years old with your face all over social media because your mum and dad are famous. Nightmare stuff.
The Musical Kid
From what Liam used to say, Bear’s got rhythm like you wouldn’t believe. The kid would dance around the house and apparently had this natural beat going on. Makes sense with parents like his.
Whether he’ll go into music himself remains to be seen. It’s too early to tell, really, but the talent’s obviously there. Liam would joke about Bear humming along to everything, picking up tunes dead quickly.
Liam mentioned once that Bear would try singing along to his songs. Imagine your 3-year-old attempting Strip That Down. Must’ve been hilarious.
The lad’s also a right chatterbox, according to his dad. Always asking “why this” and “why that”; typical kid stuff. But Liam loved every minute of it. You could tell he properly enjoyed those conversations.
Everything Changed
This bit’s hard to write about, honestly. When Liam died in October 2024, everything shifted for little Bear. Seven years old and losing your dad; it definitely breaks your heart thinking about it.
Liam had been so devoted to that boy. Every interview, every social media post, you could see how much Bear meant to him. His whole world revolved around being the best dad he could be.
Now it’s just Bear and his mum, Cheryl, with loads of family support, obviously. Everyone’s rallying round to make sure he’s looked after properly. That’s what families do, isn’t it?
What Made Them Special
Looking back at everything, what struck me most about Liam Payne son was how genuine their relationship seemed. No staged celebrity dad moments or forced interactions for the cameras.
Just a bloke who absolutely adored his kid and wasn’t afraid to show it. Liam would talk about wanting to be the father he’d wished for growing up. Teaching Bear about life, about music, about being a good person.
Those little moments he’d mention, such as kicking a ball in the garden, reading stories before bed, and Bear falling asleep on his chest while watching TV. Ordinary stuff that meant everything to both of them.
I’ve got a mate who’s similar to his son. Same soppy grin when he talks about him, same pride in every little achievement. That’s real love right there.
Bear might’ve had famous parents and more money than most of us will ever see, but at the end of the day, he was just a little boy who loved his dad. And his dad loved him back with everything he had.
That’s what I’ll remember most about their story: not the fame or the tragedy that came later, but that pure, honest love between a father and his son. Beautiful thing, really.
