Cheryl's one 'non-negotiable request' as Liam Payne's ex returns to the limelight

Cheryl made a "non-negotiable request" with her return to the limelight this week - her first role since the death of former partner Liam Payne.

The 42-year-old singer is in a glamorous video promoting skincare giant Nivea - but it is said she only agreed to this if she could have her son Bear by her side. Cheryl shares the eight-year-old boy with Liam following their relationship, which reportedly started in 2015 and ended in 2018.

An insider said: "It was very important for Cheryl to have Bear there with her. They are inseparable... As you can imagine it has been the most heartbreaking few months for the two of them and she has done everything she can to support him. She has had some pretty low ebbs herself, but just seeing Bear happy always puts a smile back on her face."

Following Liam's death in October last year, the Mirror reported how Cheryl "will do the right thing" by Bear after it emerged their son is set to inherit his father's entire £24million fortune. As he did not have a will, the estate belonging to Liam, as an unmarried parent, was shared between any children - and he only had Bear.

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And Cheryl's love for her son was clear at the shoot for Nivea, it is said. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the insider said: "He has been her number one priority and always will be. So as she tentatively returns to the limelight it felt only right that Bear be there."

While Bear doesn't appear in the advert, Cheryl is thought to have wanted him at the set because the campaign subtly nods to 31-year-old Liam. Cheryl first met Liam on The X Factor, on which his band One Direction came third in 2010. In the Nivea ad, a caption reads: "This is right up our street" - a reference to one of Cheryl's favourite catchphrases during her time as a judge on the ITV programme.

The mum of one, originally from Newcastle, confidently walks into a studio before settling down in front of the camera and lights. Cheryl coyly hides her face behind a newspaper dated "August 2025" in the advertisement.

But the insider believes Bear, despite not appearing on screen, was "the most important person in the room". They continued: "She (Cheryl) is fiercely protective of Bear and doesn't want his face out there. She is only too aware of the pitfalls of fame... There was such a fun atmosphere on set, and everybody was saying how cute Bear was."

The advert was filmed last month at a strictly secret location in west London. Cheryl was able to post glimpses of the ad on her Instagram yesterday, delighting her 3.8 million followers.

She has keot a low profile since Liam fell from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires. The singer was found to have had drugs, including crack cocaine and methamphetamine, in his system.