Liam Payne’s ex Cheryl Cole breaks silence and begs people to give late singer ‘what little dignity he has left’

Liam Payne was more than “a pop star and a celebrity,” says his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole.

The Girls Aloud singer is “trying to get through this overwhelming event and overcome my own grief during this indescribably painful time,” she wrote in an October 18 Instagram post. That’s made even more difficult by the way Payne’s death is being discussed in the press and on social media, she said.

Payne, 31, died on October 16 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. He and Cole were a couple from 2016 to 2018. Their son, Bear Gray Payne, was born in March 2017.

Cheryl Cole slams ‘heinous reports’ of Liam Payne’s death

For fans, Payne was a member of the wildly popular boy band One Direction. But to those who knew him personally, he was “a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and the father of our 7-year-old son,” Cole wrote in the post, alongside a black-and-white photo . of Payne and a baby bear. It was her son Cole was thinking about most at the moment, she said.

“What troubles me most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reporting and media exploitation that we have witnessed over the past two days,” she continued. “It breaks my heart even more that I can’t protect him from this in the future.”

Cole appeared to be referencing the gossip site TMZ, which included a cropped photo of Payne’s lifeless body in its initial report on his death. The site later removed the photo after facing widespread backlash. Other media outlets shared photos showing a broken television and drug paraphernalia in Payne’s room at the Casa Sur hotel, and details of a 911 call made by a hotel employee before Payne’s death. Payne have been widely reported.

One Direction star deserves to be treated with ‘dignity’, says ex

In his post, Cole asked people to think of Payne and those close to him when discussing his death.

“I implore you to consider how useful some of these reports are, if not cause more harm to all those left behind picking up the pieces,” she wrote.

“Before leaving comments or making videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them,” Cole added. “Please give Liam what little dignity he has left after his death so he can finally rest in peace.”

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