Singers Cheryl and Liam Payne have announced they are splitting up after more than two years together.

The former Girls Aloud star, 35, and One Direction member, 24, confirmed the decision in posts on social media.

The couple have a son, Bear, who was born in March last year.

They said they were "sad" to make the announcement, and it had been a "tough decision to make", adding: "We still have so much love for each other as a family".

Cheryl tweeted: "Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together."

We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.

— Cheryl (@CherylOfficial) July 1, 2018

Payne posted an almost identical message to his 33m followers on Twitter.

Cheryl and I are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It's been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.

— Liam (@LiamPayne) July 1, 2018

Newcastle-born Cheryl started her career on ITV's Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 as one of the members of Girls Aloud. She then went on to launch a solo career and became a judge on The X Factor in 2008.