Liam Payne and Cheryl almost split up

Cheryl almost broke up with boyfriend Liam Payne over the phone.

The One Direction singer and British popstar have been dating since 2016 and they recently welcomed their first child, baby son Bear, in March (17).

However, things nearly panned out differently as Liam, 23, revealed that 33-year-old Cheryl was close to calling things off, but he managed to convince her to give it a chance.

"There's one song (on the album) that is basically a phone call that happened between me and her when she was about to let it go," he said on The Sun newspaper's Bizarre Life podcast. "This is a long time ago. And it's basically me trying to cling on and say: 'No, no, no it's all going to work out, don't worry about it, give it time.'"

He also praised the former Girls Aloud star for supporting his career and letting him go away while Bear is so young to promote his solo debut single Strip That Down.

"Me and Cheryl, our relationship is amazing and I put that down to her support more than anything, she's just so great," he said. "Obviously I've just started being a dad and also I'm promoting my single and she gives me no bother about it.

"She's like: 'You've got to go out and do your job, do your job.' That's how she is with it and Bear's beautiful and I love him and I miss him terribly."

Cheryl, who has kept quiet about their relationship, publicly showed her support for Liam when the single was released on Friday (19May17), writing on Twitter: "and it is just the beginning hope you're all enjoying #StripThatDown So proud of you babe."

During his promotional tour, Liam referred to Cheryl as his wife, but he has insisted they haven't tied the knot because he believes marriage is a "religious thing" so a wedding isn't on the cards.

"So no not yet. We have a baby together - you know our love for each other can't be more serious so it is what it is I guess," he added.