'Cheryl's Finding It All Too Much'

She looked drained last week, as she attended an event without Liam.

- Charlotte Oliver & Kate Randall

They’re finally in the same place at the same time, having spent several weeks on opposite sides of the globe. But within days of Liam Payne returning to the UK last week and reuniting with Cheryl and son Bear following his non-stop promo work in the US, the couple were separated again – both making solo appearances in London. And Cheryl’s outing in particular raised a lot of questions about the couple’s future.

First Liam was seen enjoying lunch with his manager in Notting Hill, then one day later, Cheryl was pictured attending a Prince’s Trust event at St James’s Palace. Despite many other celeb guests bringing along their partners for the VIP evening, including Geri Horner with her husband Christian, and Tom and Giovanna Fletcher, Liam was a notable absentee – with Cheryl instead pitching up alongside her loyal sidekick and manager Lily England. The singer – who we rarely see out and about these days, as she continues to nest at home in Surrey with her 15-month-old son – stepped out in an eye-catching green frock, but her appearance drew a decidedly negative reaction from fans. One online commentator reckoned she looked “dead behind the eyes”, while another weighed in, “Cheryl looks different, not as happy as she once looked.” And a source close to the singer tells heat that Cheryl does seem to have “lost her spark”.