Liam Payne's Christmas tradition with Bear and Cheryl Cole comes to light

Liam Payne had a sweet Christmas tradition with his son Bear from a time the toddler couldn't even make sense of.

The One Direction star, 31, once revealed how he and his ex Cheryl Cole always made it a priority to make the most of Christmas for their infant even after the couple split shortly after Bear's first birthday.

A surfaced interview from 2019 shows the For You singer speaking fondly of their annual Christmas tradition, when at the time Bear was only two and a half year old.

"I'm going to go down and see Bear, maybe cook a Christmas dinner and just hang out with family. Yeah, we're going to go down and cook some food and hang out," the popstar shared on This Morning.

"I think it's the first time he really gets Christmas now. I want to see if he actually gets unwrapping presents this year though, because otherwise, it'll just be Cheryl by the tree again.

"I can really remember it from last year, she wrapped them all up and then unwrapped them and I just sat there going, 'Right, what is this?''"

The 1D alum then spoke a little on his parenting dynamics with Cole, 41.

"The relationship we 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. They live like three minutes from my house. I always glue myself to where he is. My life now is his."

Following Payne's tragic death, the mother-singer penned a heartbreaking note in his memory, lamenting Bear's "reality of never seeing his father again."

"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. What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future."

Payne fell to his death on October 16 from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His funeral is expected to be held in the coming days once his body is flown back to the UK this week.