One Direction star Liam Payne ‘confirms’ dating Cheryl Fernandez-Versini with intimate Instagram pic

One Direction star Liam Payne has apparently confirmed that he is dating Cheryl Versini-Fernandez. The 22-year-old crooner has made his fans cry when he changed his profile pic on Instagram to a snap of himself with “The X Factor” judge.

The Sun reports that Liam and the soon-to-be twice-divorced songstress, who is 10 years his senior, are dating. Their romance apparently began in December when Cheryl decided to divorce Jean-Bernard, 35.

“This is the real deal,” a friend of the couple told the UK tabloid.

As alleged proof, Liam has had roses tattooed on his left hand. He also posted an Instagram photo of a rose to greet his “baby” a happy Valentine’s Day. The roses appear to be a tribute to Cheryl, who has tattoos of roses covering her entire buttocks.

Although the images were cryptic, Liam’s next move made his relationship with Cheryl a bit clearer when he changed his Instagram profile picture with a shot of them together. In the image, a shirtless Liam is seen cuddling with Cheryl, who is doing a peace sign.

The profile pic could be the pair just taunting the veracity of the report, but for bereaved 1D fans, it is a confirmation that the two are now dating. Angry fans took to social media to lash out at Cheryl, with some using foul language to describe the former Girl Aloud beauty.

Liam and Cheryl met in 2008 when he first auditioned for “The X Factor.” The then-14-year-old schoolboy sang Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” and even winking at Cheryl, who thought he was “cute” and had “charisma.” He passed the audition but failed at Simon Cowell’s bootcamp. He tried again two years later, and that’s when he passed and was grouped with other individual singers – Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles – to form the now super successful One Direction.

YouTube/1Dsuperhumans

YouTube/The X Factor UK

Cheryl married second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini in July 2014. She recently began divorce proceedings with him. Liam, on the other hand, split from his girlfriend of two years, Sophia Smith, in November.