Cheryl and Liam Payne of One Direction announce their split

Cheryl, who rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals, has announced that her two and a half year relationship with One Direction star, Liam Payne has packed up.

The singer who confirmed this in a tweet, begged fans to respect her ex-partners’s privacy as they navigate their way through the breakup together. Her tweet reads;

‘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.’

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.

— Cheryl (@CherylOfficial) July 1, 2018

The One Direction star also tweeted;

Cheryl and I 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.

Cheryl and I 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 (@LiamPayne) July 1, 2018

The Sun also reported that Liam Payne, has already moved out of the lavish £5 million mansion he shared with Cheryl and Bear in leafy Surrey. An insider told the news agency that the couple had mutually agreed to separate a fortnight ago, following months of speculation regarding the state of their relationship.

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.’