Liam Payne posts gushing tribute to 'incredible mother' Cheryl

Liam Payne posted a sweet tribute to girlfriend Cheryl, prompting a rare public response to her beau from the former Girls Aloud singer.

2017 was a very big year for Liam Payne and Cheryl. The loved-up couple not only moved in together after going public with their relationship, but they also welcomed a son together, baby Bear Payne.

After Cheryl gave birth to Bear in March, the new parents have been enjoying each new milestone with their young son. From first words to his first Christmas – and they've been letting fans in on snippets from their parenting journey on the way.

To wrap up a momentous year, singer Liam published a series of photos on his Instagram account of his favourite memories from 2017.

His first photo, unsurprisingly, was of baby Bear, dressed in matching shoes to his father. Gushing about his son, Liam said: 'Holding him for the first time is a memory I will never forget and watching him grow up is just amazing to see.'

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then went on to pay tribute to his partner, Cheryl, describing her as an 'incredible mother' and thanking her for all she has done.

'@cherylofficial has been an incredible mother to baby Bear since the day he was born', Liam wrote in the caption for the picture, 'and I can't thank her enough for that.'

As well as an outpouring of support and praise from the couple's fans for the sweet and sentimental post, Cheryl herself also saw the post and couldn't help but respond.

In a rare public exchange between the couple, a clearly touched Cheryl commented on the emotional tribute to her with two emojis – a picture of a face crying and a red love heart.

Fans echoed Cheryl's emotional response in the comments, writing responses such as 'I don't know why I'm crying right now!' and 'I think I'm going to cry.'

The couple will celebrate baby Bear's first birthday in March this year.