It’s been seven months since Liam Payne tragically passed away, but heat has been told his ex Cheryl has new fears over the agony she faces in protecting their eight-year-old son Bear, after he inherited his father’s £24million fortune.
Along with a music industry lawyer, Cheryl has been named administrator of Liam’s estate. If someone dies without a will, UK inheritance law favours spouses and children. And since Liam wasn’t married to his girlfriend of two years, Kate Cassidy, his son Bear will receive Liam’s full fortune, with mum Cheryl reportedly planning to place it in a trust until Bear is 25 in the hope that he makes ‘informed decisions about money’. But, we’re told, the 41-year-old Girls Aloud singer is finding the situation very difficult to navigate.
Our source says, ‘The logistics of managing an estate without a will are incredibly stressful. Cheryl is still working through everything and thinks she will be for years to come. Yes, the money means Bear will be looked after for life financially, but she also knows money can bring out the worst in other people. She wants to protect him as best she can, but some days, she feels as though she doesn’t know where to start. She’s feeling so overwhelmed.’
Cheryl and Liam first met on The X Factor in 2008 when he auditioned as a teenager and she was a judge. But the pair were not linked until February 2016, when rumours of a romance emerged shortly after 1D announced they were going on hiatus. They went public in May and welcomed Bear in March 2017, splitting a year later.
They remained supportive co-parents and speaking post-split, Liam called Cheryl ‘one of the most, if not the most, important people in my life’, and saying of his bond with Bear, ‘He needs his dad in his life. I’m happy he looks at me like a superhero, and I’m hoping to keep it that way.’
News of Liam’s sudden death in October, after he fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, shocked the world. Sharing a photo of Liam with newborn Bear, Cheryl wrote that she was ‘navigating this earth-shattering event’ and ‘working through my grief at this indescribably painful time’. At the time of his death, Liam was in a relationship with American influencer Kate, 26, who said they had plans to get married. But, as that didn’t happen, she isn’t entitled to any of Liam’s money – and, we’re told, that with Bear being the sole heir, Cheryl is worried that it could cause problems.
‘She had no idea that Liam didn’t have a will – it was a huge shock to her,’ we’re told. ‘Cheryl is just following the protocols that law dictates and doing what’s best for Bear. But her mind has gone into overdrive about what Kate might be thinking.’
If Liam had written a will, our insider says, ‘It is possible that he could have factored Kate into it’. Currently the social media star is said to be understanding of the situation and has not voiced any plans to claim any of Liam’s money. Our source says, ‘It was never about that. She loved Liam through thick and thin, and she wouldn’t have it any other way than Bear being the main beneficiary from his father’s will.’
Our insider adds that while Cheryl tries to navigate the financial and legal minefield of Liam’s estate, Bear remains her top priority. ‘Cheryl feels as though she’s in an impossible situation in terms of knowing exactly what Liam would have wanted, and where he would have wanted his money to go,’ we’re told. ‘But deep down, she knows that Bear was the most important thing in his life – it’s the one thing she knows to be true.’