Cheryl and Liam Payne are reportedly ready to end their relationship, as the strain of their 10 year age gap has started to take it’s toll.
The 34-year-old singer and the 24-year-old One Direction star have held crisis talks – but friends fear the couple are ready to split.
The news comes after the pair welcomed their first child, Bear, last March.
A source close to the couple told The Sun, “There’s a big age gap between them. If they didn’t have Bear then they would have most likely split up by now.”
“But they love their son. And they do care for each other so it’s now a matter of seeing if there’s a final way forward to try and make it work.”
Sources have also added that there hasn’t been any major rows, and neither Cheryl or Liam have had an affair.
“Liam and Cheryl held crisis talks about their future this week after he made a point of spending Valentine’s Day with her,” the source said.
“They haven’t split but have addressed the fact they have work to do on the relationship and both want to work things out. He is away a lot. She knew he would be away a lot for work but the actual reality is tough.”
“She also wants to get back to work so that comes into it as well. They have a child together so have been trying to make it work for some time.
“There hasn’t been a big falling out or anything like that. They hope there is a way forward and that’s what they’ve been discussing.”
The Sun have also reported that the couple may make an appearance at the Brit Awards on Wednesday, where Liam is nominated, as a public display of unity.
The pair have spent a lot of time apart since welcomed their son Bear, as Liam was busy launching his solo career after One Direction.
However, the couple reunited this week for Valentine’s Day, and a source said, “They are obviously having problems but the question now is what they decide to do about it.
“They’re currently talking to their families to seek advice about whether there’s any hope of giving things a go for a period of time. It’s also Bear’s first birthday next month so they have to be able to find a way to celebrate that together.”
Cheryl and Liam’s shock romance came after the former Girls Aloud star ended her marriage to French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini at the end of 2015.
The couple first met five years earlier when Liam auditioned for The X Factor at the age of 17, when Cheryl was on the judging panel.
Cheryl was previously married to footballer love-rat Ashley Cole, who she divorced in 2010 over his cheating. Cheryl has also publicly dated American dancers Derek Houghton and Tre Holloway.
Meanwhile, Liam previously dated dancer Danielle Peazer, X Factor winner Leona Lewis, and Sophia Smith, who he dated for two years before splitting in October 2015.
