Cheryl, the former X-Factor UK judge and mother of Liam Payne’s son, is asking for respect following the death of the One Direction singer. “As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time,

Cheryl Cole, who shares a 7-year-old son, Bear, with Liam Payne, criticized "abhorrent reports and media exploitation" in the wake of Payne's death.

Liam Payne’s former partner, Cheryl Cole, paid tribute to the late singer in a statement on Friday in which she pleaded for sensitivity in coverage of his death. Payne and Cole, a recording artist and former judge on the UK version of “The X Factor,