Cheryl Cole has announced on Twitter that she and Liam Payne are splitting.

The singer said that it has "been a tough decision for us to make," and that "Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together." Bear is Cole's first child, and was born in March 2017.

There had been media speculation for months that her relationship with the former One Direction star was on the rocks, with Payne cancelling a gig in Kansas to fly back to England to be with her on her 35th birthday.

Evidently, the decision was made shortly after the two were together. Liam Payne has yet to make a statement.