Cheryl's very private son Bear, 9, is almost as tall as her in rare family photos

Cheryl has been spending some quality family time at Universal Studios in Florida with her son Bear, whom she shares with late One Direction star Liam Payne.

The 'Fight for this Love' singer, 42, took to Instagram to share rare photos of their family holiday, describing the trip as "a wonderful few days." One of the snaps showed her walking into the giant theme park gates with her arm wrapped protectively around her nine-year-old son, who appeared to be growing up quickly.

Dressed in casual denim shorts, a T-shirt and carrying a Mickey Mouse backpack, Bear showed off his height, with the top of his bucket hat reaching above his 5-foot, 3-inch mother's shoulder.

© Instagram

Ensuring she didn't draw unwanted attention, Cheryl also dressed down in what appears to be a denim jumpsuit and hat for the low-key outing.

Making memories

© Instagram

Her most recent photos come just days after Cheryl and Bear were pictured at Walt Disney World, enjoying the Toy Story Mania ride together.

"Somewhere in the corners of the world, magic still exists," Cheryl captioned the post. "I don't know what took me so long to experience the joys of @waltdisneyworld, but I completely escaped into my inner child for the last couple of weeks. What a wonderful place."  

Protective mother

Cheryl has always kept her son out of the spotlight, but she became particularly concerned about protecting him following the death of his father aged 31 in 2024. Liam fell from a balcony in Buenos Aires, six years after the couple had called off their romance.

© Dave Benett/Getty Images

Opening up about the "earth-shattering" impact his death would leave on their family, Cheryl said in a statement: "As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I'd like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being. Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again."

She added: "What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future. I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces."