Liam Payne would never take his son on tour and away from his mother

He told People magazine: "Babies want their mum; I would never have wanted to get in the way of that. It was actually easier to go out on the road just knowing he wanted his mum. Now he looks at me and points at me like, 'Here's this fun guy!' He knows."

Cheryl and Liam recently split after two and a half years together.

Sharing a statement on their separate Twitter accounts, they wrote:

"We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together."

Liam has reportedly moved out of the £5 million mansion, which they shared in Surrey but they will share parental duties of their son Bear.

A source added: "Cheryl and Liam worked really hard on their relationship - they had troubles earlier this year and were able to get through them. But they're in different stages of their lives and, after a lot of careful thought, came to a decision that it's best for everyone if they do go their separate ways.

"He still cares for her and she cares for him. They still have an ongoing relationship together. They have a baby together. Both Cheryl and Liam have successful careers that take a lot of time, which didn't always make things easy. There were ups and downs for a long time."