Liam Payne has admitted that he and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole had a solid relationship until she fell pregnant with their son Bear.
Cheryl, who is 10 years older than the One Direction star, gave birth to their son in 2017 when ex beau Liam was just 23.
The pair first met in 2008 when Liam Payne was 14, during his X-Factor audition with his unbeknownst future girlfriend Cheryl Cole, then 25, sitting among the judges.
They came face to face again in 2010 when Liam reapplied for the talent show and was put into a group which would go on to become the biggest boyband in the world, One Direction.
Speaking to US YouTuber Logan Paul about the breakdown of their relationship on his Impaulsive podcast, Liam shared that he didn't "know what was coming" and struggled to come to terms with being a father, the Mirror reports.
He and the Geordie beauty were in a relationship for two years before they decided to split one year after Bear was born.
He said: "To be honest with you, it ruined a relationship at that point – but for all the right reasons."
However, Liam is full of praise for his ex, especially when it comes to her parenting skills as he called Cheryl "the best mum in the world" and added: "I couldn't ask for someone better."
Speaking of Bear's birth, he said it was quite a scary experience to go through as the Girls Aloud star "haemorrhaged quite badly" afterwards and she had to rest for much of her son's first day in the world, meaning a young Liam had to immediately step up and care for his son.
Recalling the first day on the podcast he said: "It was me and a baby in the room and I had to take care of it. It was fun".
When the pair announced their amicable split, they released a joint statement which said: "We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways.
"We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together."
Bear is now five and is at school but Cheryl, now 39, and Liam made the decision to never reveal his face to the public as they wanted to keep him sheltered from the spotlight.
Discussing the relationship he has with his young son, Liam said: "I take my son to school one or two times a week and it's the best thing.
"The relationship we [him and Cheryl] have now as friends has only grown more.
"We broke up for a reason and now she gives me full autonomy of my life and to do what I do and I know he's [Bear's] taken care of.
"He is all she cares about and I couldn't ask for more."
Talking about the legacy he would like to leave for his son as he gets older, Liam firmly said everything he has is now for Bear.
The dad-of-one said: "My life now is his. My money is his. I have several companies he can run if he wants one day or sell – but right now he's only five so we have a long way to go."
The 1D star revealed that one of his biggest fears is that Bear will want to follow in his famous parent's footsteps and become famous himself as Liam said he knows there is no going back once you are in the spotlight.
Liam said: "The scariest thing for me is him waking up one day and saying, 'I want to be famous'.
"I've protected his face since he was young. I chose to be famous, well a singing career when I was 14... I know you can't pop the lid back on."
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