Cheryl seen for first time since Liam Payne’s funeral and stalking hell

In her first public appearance since the funeral of her ex, Liam Payne, Cheryl supported her Girls Aloud bandmate in London.

The Fight For This Love singer, 42, has been keeping a low profile as she grieved the sudden death of the father of her child.

Concern was then raised for Cheryl’s safety when a stalker turned up at her home for the fourth time, ‘causing her anxiety’.

The man has since been jailed, and Cheryl is ready to return to the public eye, appearing at the Hadestown gala night in support of Nicola Roberts.

Nicola, 39, is performing in the popular West End show as Persephone, with her first shows kicking off in January.

Keeping things chic, Cheryl wore a very autumnal outfit with a burnt-orange suit paired with a darker brown turtleneck, finished with a brown floor-length coat.

Fellow bandmate Kimberley Walsh also attended the gala, sticking to the colour scheme with a brown suede-look shirt and trouser combo.

The duo were seen smiling as they arrived, with Nicola rocking a silky champagne gown to celebrate her big night.

Cheryl has not been seen in public since the funeral for Payne in November, except for in a pre-recorded Girls Aloud interview for ITV.

In August, she confirmed her comeback to the spotlight as she was revealed as the new face of Nivea’s latest skincare campaign.

Last week, her stalker, Daniel Bannister, was jailed for 12 months after breaching his restraining order again.

Judge Alan Blake told him: ‘She does not wish any contact with you and you are causing her anxiety.

‘You have shown defiance to the court order. You need to draw a line under that behaviour.’

Cheryl gave a victim statement saying she was ‘on edge every time [she] opened the gate’.

A source told The Mirror: ‘She’s of course relieved that he’s been jailed, and she just wants to focus on Bear now, but she also knows he started up again after the last time he was jailed too so it’s hard to totally move on.

‘But she’s a fiercely strong woman and Bear is her world, so he’s her only focus right now.’

The source added: ‘Everyone’s hoping she can concentrate on what’s important to her now, and be able to mark the anniversary of Liam’s death properly, without this horrendous thing weighing on her.’

Payne died on October 16, 2024, after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, with an inquest confirming ‘polytrauma’ as the cause of death.