Christmas is going to look a little different for everyone this year, but for most people, the chance to spend it with close family will be the real gift. So it’s no wonder we’re told Cheryl is disappointed that her son, Bear, may not get to spend his with his dad.
After the year they've had, Cheryl is desperately trying to put on a big Christmas extravaganza, and she's invited Liam and Maya to spend it with her,” a source tells heat. “But frustratingly Liam is still saying that he’s not sure where he and Maya are going to end up spending the holidays.”
Liam, 27, got engaged to Texan model Maya, 20, earlier this year, so it’s understandable that the couple may want to spend this Christmas together…not at Liam’s ex’s house. But as Liam spent the holiday with three-year-old Bear last year, we’re told Cheryl is disappointed he’s not making it a priority again.
“Cheryl likes to be organised with things like Christmas, and she’s keen to get her plans nailed down. She had really hoped that spending time with Bear now he's finally at the age where he really gets it all would be a priority for Liam, especially as Bear is obsessed with Christmas this year, and is going through a real 'daddy' phase – always wanting to tell him things and do things with him.”
Girls Aloud - where are they now?
1 of 10Cheryl
During her time in Girls Aloud Cheryl married and divorced footballer ex-husband Ashley Cole after he cheated. Cheryl was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an altercation with a nightclub toilet attended in 2003. On a slightly lighter note (well, kind of) she threw a lot of shade when she said she "didn't think" Nicole Scherzinger would make it as a solo artist…
2 of 10Cheryl - 2020
Since her time in Girls Aloud, Chez has gone on to launch her solo career, she was a judge on The X Factor, moved onto The X Factor US but was sacked three weeks later and had a falling out with Simon Cowell. Despite texting him "f—k you. F—k the UK X Factor. F—k you all. I hate you," she returned to the show four years later. Cheryl has since become a judge on BBC's The Greatest Dancer. Chez was also an ambassador for L'Oreal and in 2020 she starred in the movie Four Kids and It.And after her divorce from Ashley, Cheryl got married to Jean-Bernard Fernandez but they split in 2016. She then dated Liam Payne and despite splitting in 2018 they're now co-parenting their son Bear Grey Payne.
3 of 10Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley was pretty unproblematic in Girls Aloud, although we can't forget when she completely backed Cheryl throwing shade at Nicole Scherzinger. Kimberley also didn't seem keen on the idea of the Pussycat Dolls star launching a solo career.
4 of 10Kimberley Walsh - 2020
Post-Girls Aloud, Kimberley climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009 to raise money for Comic Relief, she has presented on TV and in 2012 she starred on Strictly Come Dancing and came runner up alongside her professional partner Pasha Kovalev. She's also married her long-term partner Justin Scott and they're parents to Bobby and Cole.
5 of 10Nadine Coyle
After Girls Aloud split in 2013, Nadine made it clear that it was not her idea. "You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn't stop them. I had the best time & want to keep going," she tweeted at the time.
6 of 10Nadine Coyle - 2020
Nadine has pretty much become a meme after the nation discovered how she says "flour" on Sunday Brunch. She launched her own solo career, took part in I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2019 and following a brief split from her fiancé Jason Bell they went on to have a child and tie the knot. Unfortunately they split months before she flew out to the jungle.
7 of 10Sarah Harding
Sarah was definitely the funniest of the group. Remember at the Brit Awards in 2009 when Girls Aloud won Best Single for The Promise and Sarah shouted down the microphone, "Can I just say, it's about timmmeee… I think I just wet myself." Obsessed.
8 of 10Sarah Harding - 2018
Sarah has starred on Coronation Street as Joni Preston, she won Celebrity Big Brother 2017 and in 2017 it came to light that she allegedly had an affair with Danny Dyer back in the day. She also got engaged to DJ Tom Crane but they called off their wedding and in 2011 she entered rehab for alcohol dependence and depression.
9 of 10Nicole Roberts
Remember when Matt Willis called Nicola a "rude ginger b-tch" and she hit back but writing 'I'm a rude ginger b-tch… bothered!' on her shorts? Now that's iconic.
10 of 10Nicola Roberts - 2020
Nicola has also launched her solo career and she won the first series of The Masked Singer UK.
Liam recently admitted in an interview that during the first national lockdown he and Cheryl decided he should stay away from Bear for the duration of the tough restrictions. “It’s not unusual for me to be in and out of his life,” he said.
But our source tells us Cheryl, 37, thinks there might be more to Liam’s reluctance to firm up plans. “Cheryl finds it a little tiresome dealing with them, because she knows Maya makes a point of keeping their lives very separate, and ringfencing 'their' life from Cheryl. She's always saying how nice it must be for Bear to have two different families. It's a classic fiancée vs the ex situation. But Cheryl has no interest in getting into any rows over it. She just wants a nice big family Christmas to look forward to, for Bear's sake and to end such a tough year on a high.”