Cheryl puts on a brave face as she takes her mind off the anniversary of Liam Payne’s death at bandmate’s birthday dinner

Cheryl put on a brave face as she enjoyed a night out ahead of the anniversary of her ex Liam Payne’s death.

The Girls Aloud star celebrated bandmate Nicola Roberts’ 40th birthday with an intimate dinner. The Lanesborough Hotel in Belgravia, London.

Her rare appearance came just three days before the one-year anniversary of her ex-boyfriend’s tragic death.

The 31-year-old One Direction star died on October 16, 2024, after falling from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires. A later toxicology report revealed he had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system.

Monday night Cheryl The birthday celebrations were attended by Nicola, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola’s closest friends. She was photographed leaving the five-star hotel wearing an elegant black satin dress, a tailored jacket and a chunky gold chain necklace.

This is the second time Cheryl’s former partner and son Bear have been photographed in public since his father’s funeral.

The 31-year-old One Direction star died after falling from the third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024; Photo of Liam and Cheryl in 2018

Two weeks ago she supported her best friend Nicola once again by attending the premiere night of her friend’s West End show Hadestown.

But for the last 12 months, Cheryl He kept a low profile as he struggled with the tragic situation that left his eight-year-old son, Bear, fatherless.

It’s also been slowly getting back to work in recent months, collaborating with skincare giant Nivea, with a single announcement in August.

Following Liam’s death, Cheryl was given the authority to administer his estate.

Because he died without leaving a will, he was declared intestate. This means that as an unmarried parent, his or her inheritance is shared among all children.

Friends and family later spoke out and insisted that Cheryl would ‘always do the right thing for her beloved son’. They expressed how determined he was to make sure his only son would be well cared for should something happen to him.

Unlike Cheryl, Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has been very public about her pain for the star, often taking to social media to connect with fans and share signs that she feels kept her close to the late singer.

Since Liam’s death, Kate has set up her own account with the brand’s creator, Golden Child, where she sells her favorite clothes and accessories, such as Dior and Chanel bags and Celine sunglasses.

The Girls Aloud star celebrated bandmate Nicola Roberts’ 40th birthday with an intimate dinner at the Lanesborough Hotel in London’s Belgravia

Her rare appearance came just three days shy of the one-year anniversary of her ex-boyfriend’s tragic death.

On Monday night, Cheryl joined Nicola, Kimberley Walsh and Nicola’s best friends for the birthday celebrations.

Birthday girl Nicola looked stunning in a red satin dress as she left her 40th birthday celebrations.

Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh also attended the ceremony with her husband Justin Scott.

Cheryl was spotted leaving the five-star hotel in an elegant black satin dress, tailored jacket and chunky gold chain necklace.

In return, he gets a share from the brands. The influencer has also appeared on podcasts speaking about her experience with grief.

It is also believed that Liam’s death has brought his band One Direction, which includes Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles, closer together again.

The bandmates, who shared their respects on Instagram in the days following his death, came together a month later at his funeral for the first time since their separation in 2016 and paid their respects to the late star.

Last week, Louis Tomlinson confirmed that Liam’s death had “totally put a jab in” on a potential One Direction reunion, revealing that he didn’t believe it would “happen”.

While there is little hope that the full band will reunite soon, it has been revealed that Louis is teaming up with bandmate Zayn on a new multi-million pound Netflix deal.

For the past 12 months, Cheryl has kept a low profile as she deals with the tragic situation that has left her eight-year-old son Bear fatherless.

Cheryl smiled at her friends as she got into her car and was driven home

This is only the second time Cheryl has been photographed in public since the funeral of her former partner and son Bear’s father.

Louis is the only band member to speak out about Liam’s death. To talk Rolling Stone UKDescribing his shock, Louis said he was “still disappointed that Liam is no longer with us.”

She said: ‘It’s been really, really incredibly difficult for me to cope with losing Liam. Naively, I thought this might soften the blow since I was pretty knowledgeable about grief for my age at this point.

‘[That was] super pure. This is very different. ‘I’ve never lost a friend before.’

The investigation into Liam’s death has been ongoing for a year. It was previously confirmed that the medical cause of death was ‘polytrauma’, a term meaning there was more than one traumatic injury to the person’s body.

In the aftermath, Liam’s friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, hotel operator Gilda Martin and receptionist Esteban Grassi faced manslaughter charges, but these were later dropped.

Hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra, 22, and waiter Braian Paiz, 25, were accused of supplying cocaine to the singer.

After leaving dinner, Cheryl continued her conversation with the car door open.

However, a trial date for the two suspects has not yet been set as Argentine authorities continue to review 800 hours of CCTV footage, mobile phones and laptops.

Although Liam’s cause of death was determined to be multiple external and internal trauma injuries, a toxicology report revealed traces of cocaine, alcohol and prescription antidepressants were present in his system at the time of death.

The X Factor star was in Buenos Aires on holiday with his girlfriend Kate, where they attended former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert.

While Kate returned to the United States four days before her death, Liam chose to extend his vacation and stay in Argentina.

It was claimed that he turned to alcohol and drugs after he was expelled from Palacio Duhau and Park Hyatt on the grounds that he disturbed the guests before making a reservation at the CasaSur Palmero Hotel.

Following Liam’s death, Cheryl was given the authority to manage his estate (Liam, pictured in January 2023)

Unlike Cheryl, Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has publicly expressed her sadness for the star

Eyewitnesses also claimed the singer was “acting erratically” just hours before his death, with CCTV footage showing the One Direction star appearing to be carried out of the lobby by hotel staff.

Shortly before 5pm, the hotel manager called Argentinian authorities, claiming that Liam was under the influence and damaging his room, while also expressing concern that the pop star might harm himself.

A few minutes later, a loud explosion was heard from the courtyard of the hotel where Liam was. Another call was made for an ambulance.

His death sparked global grief among fans of his musical career; fans stood guard in the UK, US, Argentina and further afield.