Liam Payne says he’s ‘closer then ever’ to ex Cheryl while they co-parent son Bear

Liam Payne has revealed he is ‘closer than ever’ to ex Cheryl.

The former One Direction singer, 27, has praised the Fight For This Love hitmaker, 37, for being ‘the best person’ to raise a child with and said he has a ‘really lovely’ relationship with her and their son Bear, 4.

Liam also revealed that and Cheryl spend ‘a lot’ of time chatting to each other on FaceTime while they raise Bear together, and their relationship is ‘very relaxed.’

‘She’s the best person to co-parent with’: Liam Payne has revealed he’s ‘closer than ever’ to ex Cheryl as he discussed their arrangements parenting their son Bear on Thursday

Liam – who is now engaged to Maya Henry – told Glamour: ‘Cheryl is literally the best person to co-parent with. No stress involved. It’s very, very relaxed, and we spend a lot of time on FaceTime.

‘And it’s been really lovely, and I’m closer to them than I’ve ever been before, actually, which is really, really nice.

‘But bedtime FaceTime can go really well sometimes. Or I bought him some toys yesterday that I showed them on the FaceTime and it was like I had to go and travel over and hand the toys over the fence!’ 

Friendly: The singer has praised the Fight For This Love hitmaker for being 'the best person' to raise a child with (Liam is pictured with Bear following his birth in 2017)

Friendly: The singer has praised the Fight For This Love hitmaker for being ‘the best person’ to raise a child with (Liam is pictured with Bear following his birth in 2017)

Liam – who is engaged to Maya Henry – admitted he’s struggled with the most recent coronavirus lockdown in the UK because he wasn’t working and having nothing to keep him occupied led him to a ‘dark’ place.

But he added that he’s now embraced the period of downtime as it’s helped him to slow down and relax more.

During the interview he also confessed he wished he’d had ‘more fun’ during his time in One Direction, and feels he was ‘too serious’ while being part of the band. 

On Sunday Liam is also set to make an appearance at the EE British Academy Film Awards, and the star has hinted that it will feature something fans have ‘never seen before’ in a teaser video released on Thursday. 

Liam and Cheryl split back in July 2018, just 16 months after welcoming their son Bear, but the pair have remained on friendly terms.

Happy: He said: 'And it's been really lovely, and I'm closer to them than I've ever been before, actually, which is really, really nice' (Cheryl is pictured with Bear in 2019)

Happy: He said: ‘And it’s been really lovely, and I’m closer to them than I’ve ever been before, actually, which is really, really nice’ (Cheryl is pictured with Bear in 2019)

In January the star said that due to the ongoing pandemic he had to ensure he had a negative Covid test before he could visit Bear, even thought he was living just ‘up the street.’ 

Speaking during an Instagram Live with producer Ben Winston, who he worked with on several One Direction music videos and their 2013 This Is Us documentary, Liam offered a rare insight into visiting his son.

He said: ‘I went and saw Bear today we had a little hangout which was nice as I hadn’t seen him in a couple of weeks.

‘It’s hard with the COVID thing as I have to make sure I’m negative before I go over and see him so it’s having to wait that couple of days before you can test so… 

‘He’s only up the street and it’s dead complicated but he’s gotten so big, huge.’

Challenging: In January the star said that due to the ongoing pandemic he had to ensure he had a negative Covid test before he could visit Bear

Challenging: In January the star said that due to the ongoing pandemic he had to ensure he had a negative Covid test before he could visit Bear

Liam also recently said his little boy ‘reignited’ his love for Christmas, as the time of year has ‘always felt a little bit hollow’ to him in the past. 

He said during an interview with People: ‘For me, it really reignited Christmas. I moved away from home at 17, so Christmas kind of took on a new meaning. 

‘It was great to be able to shower people with gifts and make everybody feel welcome, but Christmas always felt a little bit hollow for some reason. Now he’s kind of filled that hole for me and I understand it all over again.’

Prior to the introduction of Tier 4 restrictions over Christmas, Cheryl, 37, confirmed she was be spending Christmas with Liam so they could both enjoy the day with their son amid the pandemic. 

She said on Jessie Ware’s Table Manners podcast: ‘It’ll probably just be me, my mum and Liam. My mam makes a great roast, and Liam normally does the meat on Christmas. He’s really good at it actually and puts his all into it. 

‘We watch Home Alone the movie. Both [films], I always play them back to back. I love it. I think it’s because it reminds me of when I was a kid. 

‘I love mulled wine. I like everybody to wear the same PJs on Christmas eve night … This year we’re going to have Disney ones.’

Pals: Liam and Cheryl split back in July 2018, just 16 months after welcoming their son Bear, but the pair have remained on friendly terms

Pals: Liam and Cheryl split back in July 2018, just 16 months after welcoming their son Bear, but the pair have remained on friendly terms