Cheryl Tweedy has given her eight-year-old son Bear a memorable Christmas experience, taking him on a three-night safari trip to Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve in Kent. The visit marks the second festive season without his father, Liam Payne, who died in October 2024 at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
The Girls Aloud star was joined by her mother Joan and brother Garry for the stay, which included a glass-sided lodge where they could see lions, tigers, leopards and rhinos. Bear was reportedly 'thrilled' to see the animals, particularly the spectacled bears that inspired Paddington Bear, and enjoyed an open-sided Land Rover safari tour of the reserve.
Onlookers said Bear looked 'mesmerised' during the tour, especially at the giraffe enclosure. One guest commented: 'It must be so sad. He doesn't have a daddy around at Christmas, so it was lovely to see Cheryl doing the best she can to make sure he had a smile on his face.' The family also visited Santa's grotto, a vintage funfair and a dinosaur section, which Liam was known to love.
Cheryl has credited her mother and brother as her 'rock' since Liam's death. The couple, who met on The X Factor in 2008, were together for two and a half years before splitting in 2018, but remained close while co-parenting Bear. Cheryl has since said she is 'done' with dating.
