Reuters – British singers Cheryl and Liam Payne announced their split on social media on Sunday evening (July 1) The couple said on their respective Twitter accounts that it had been “a tough decision for us to make”, but that son Bear “is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”

Their son was born last year on March 22.

The couple, who have a 10-year age gap, had been together for two and a half years. They first met on Britain’s “X Factor” talent show in 2008 when Cheryl was a judge and Liam was a 14-year-old auditioning, prior to finding fame with boy band “One Direction”.