Will.i.am is "so happy" Cheryl is expecting a baby with Liam Payne

Speaking to Closer magazine, he said: "Cheryl is awesome and I am so happy for her - she is always in and out of bad relationships. She is expecting a baby but it could be a beer belly, right? I haven't really met Liam but I am so happy for her, she deserves it."

It's not known when their little bundle of joy is due but the 32-year-old singer set tongues wagging in November when she attended a Christmas carol concert in London with an obvious bulging belly underneath a figure-hugging green slinky frock and jacket.

So far, the couple have publicly stayed silent on their happy news but all their family and friends know they are parents-to-be and it's thought the baby is due indefinitely.

However, Liam, 22, is hoping he's around to witness his little one being born as he'd already made arrangements to spend the beginning of 2017 in Los Angeles in order to record his debut solo album before they found out they were expecting a child.

A source said recently: "Liam is doing what he can to make sure he spends as much time as possible with Cheryl before and after the birth, but some commitments can't be changed. Luckily Cheryl has an incredibly supportive family, who will rally round if they are needed. They will also be helping her and Liam after the birth, as Cheryl is saying she doesn't want to get a nanny."

The loved-up pair - who first met nine years ago when Liam was a teenager contestant on 'The X Factor' and Cheryl was the judge - went public with their romance in February last year, just a few weeks after the pop star announced she'd split from her husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini following just 18 months of marriage.

Her marriage with Jean-Bernard - also known as JB - wasn't the only one to end in divorce as she also split from her first husband Ashley Cole in 2010.