Liam Payne never stopped loving Cheryl Cole, according to Simon Cowell’s brother.

Tony Cowell, 74, said the One Direction star’s tragic death at the age of 31 will be ‘so difficult’ for the Girls Aloud singer, 41, and he ‘can’t imagine her pain’.

Payne and Cole’s two year relationship came to an end in 2018 a year after their son Bear was born.

The pop star previously told a podcast in 2022 that she was an ‘amazing mum’ with Cheryl also saying when announcing their split that they ‘still have so much love for each other as a family’.

Payne died last Wednesday after falling 45ft from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, in Argentina.

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Liam Payne never stopped loving Cheryl Cole, according to Simon Cowell’s brother

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Payne and Cole’s two year relationship came to an end in 2018 a year after their son Bear was born

Tony Cowell pictured in 2010 with One Direction’s Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan

How Liam Payne first crossed paths with Cheryl when he was 14

Payne was aged 16 when Tony first met the star backstage at The X Factor in 2010.

He recounted how he was always ‘open and honest’ and always had a ‘huge smile’ on his face.

Tony also revealed how Payne had gone to the Cotswolds a few months before his death to see his brother Simon.

He told Closer magazine: ‘Liam was determined to gain Simon’s approval [on The X Factor]. He desperately wanted to please him.

‘We are devastated. I feel for Simon, too. He met with Liam a few months ago.

‘I also feel for Cheryl, as I know Liam never stopped loving her and Bear. It’s going to be so difficult for her. I can’t imagine her pain. Louis Walsh is devastated too. He told me, ‘Liam had this star quality about him. I will miss him.’

Tony added: ‘Our family has known Liam for so many years. I will always remember how he always made the effort to speak to our late mum, Julie, when she was in Simon’s dressing room.

When Cheryl revealed Liam Payne’s ‘safe word’ at The BRIT’s

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Simon Cowell with brothers Nicholas and Tony Cowell attending the ceremony honouring Simon with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August 2022

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Tony last week posted a moving tribute to Payne on his X account alongside a throwback photo from 2010 of him standing alongside One Direction

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Cheryl and Liam pictured in March 2016 in London. He told a podcast in 2022 that she was an ‘amazing mum’

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Cheryl also said when announcing their split that they ‘still have so much for each other as a family’ (pictured at the Global Gift gala in Paris, France, in May 2016)

Liam Payne shares cute video walking alongside son, Bear

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A grief-stricken Cheryl took to Instagram to tell of her anguish after Payne’s death as to say she was trying to ‘navigate this earth shattering event’

‘Yes, the fame took its toll on his mental health, but he remained kind and considerate and an incredible friend to so many, and a wonderful father to [his son] Bear; so generous and private.’

Tony last week posted a moving tribute to Payne on his X account alongside a throwback photo from 2010 of him standing alongside One Direction.

‘Emma [his wife] & I can’t begin to process this terrible news,’ he wrote.

‘From the moment we met, you were gentle, kind & thoughtful. You always took the time to speak to everyone in our family, & you were gracious & generous. Our hearts are broken & we will remember you forever.’

A grief-stricken Cheryl took to Instagram to tell of her anguish after Payne’s death as to say she was trying to ‘navigate this earth shattering event’.

Her statement read: ‘As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time.

‘I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being.

‘Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our seven year old son.

‘A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.’

The pair initially crossed paths on the hit talent show in 2008, however it wasn’t until 2016 that their relationship began.

They made their official red carpet debut at Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Gala in Paris in that year, with Payne paying tribute to Cheryl with a tattoo of her eye on his arm.

How Liam Payne went from One Direction ‘dad’ to solo sensation

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Alongside her touching tribute to the late 31-year-old Cheryl posted a picture of the father and his son

Liam Payne’s adorable anecdotes about son Bear

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The Girls Aloud singer was previously in a relationship with Payne for two years, with the pair welcoming their child Bear Grey into the world on March 22, 2017

Adorable chat between Liam Payne and son Bear on Father’s Day 2021

On March 22, 2017, the Girls Aloud singer gave birth to their son Bear, previously writing to Instagram: ‘On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy looking like a dream.’

However a year later in July, Cheryl and Payne announced their split.

In a frank interview published in The Sunday Times Style magazine in 2018, shortly after their split, mother-of-one Cheryl was quoted as telling journalist Decca Aitkenhead how Payne ‘is the only man who has ever been faithful to her’.

The pop star said she had been disappointed by every important man in her life, including her father, brother and ex-husbands, leaving her with ‘zero’ interest in a new relationship.

Calling her son ‘the man of her dreams’, she said she would happily be single for ever. ‘I do seriously think I might be, I do,’ she told the publication.