As Liam Payne’s first death anniversary approaches, Cheryl Tweedy has reportedly experienced a “living nightmare” as a result of a stalker’s fear of her “feebling out of her front gate.”
Cheryl Tweedy is hopefully sleeping a little easier, after her stalker was jailed for continuing to harass the singer at the home she shares with her and Liam Payne’s young son, Bear. Convicted killer Daniel Bannister was handed a 12-month prison sentence last week, marking the end of what a source tells OK! has been a nightmarish time for the Girls Aloud star.
“Cheryl has been in a really bad place, it’s been a living nightmare – she was scared to even go out of her front gate,” a source claims exclusively to OK!. “It’s been really tough on her and Bear, and after the heartbreak of losing Liam, it was the last thing she needed.” They add: “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.”
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It was revealed at the hearing at Reading Crown Court last week that Cheryl, 42, hired personal security to protect herself and her eight-year-old Bear because she was so terrified of her stalker’s intentions.
The Newcastle-born star had no doubt about the enormous impact that the entire ordeal had had on her in her powerful victim impact statement read out in court. She emotionally said, “Every time he returns, the concern about his intentions grows.” Every time I open my gate, I’m worried, nervous, and anxious. No one should experience this sensation.
Devastatingly, she also said that Bannister had “made my young child scared”, referring, of course, to the son she shares with late One Direction singer Liam, who died on October 16 last year. Fifty-year-old Bannister, who the court heard was a musician, admitted a single charge of breaching his restraining order at an earlier hearing back in June and was remanded into custody until last week’s Crown Court appearance.
His latest prison stint is his second this year, after he was previously jailed for 16 weeks for repeatedly showing up to the charttopper’s home, while banned from doing so under a restraining order. In March this year, Wycombe Magistrates’ Court was told Bannister “can’t stay away” from the pop singer, and had already shown up to her home on two separate occasions the year before, which led to him being slapped with a restraining order.
Bannister claimed he had “come to get Cheryl” when he rang the intercom buzzer on Cheryl’s front door in January 2024. Six months later, when the star was at home with Bear and the star demanded a “glass of wine” because he was “really thirsty,” he showed up again. She called her brother, according to Prosecutor Datta Ryan. The defendant continued to stand outside of her home.
Bannister continued his harassment campaign after his release, showing up for a third time last December, showing up at Cheryl’s house for a third time following the events of January and July of 2024.
In a heartbreaking statement about the most recent incident, Cheryl claimed that her only concern was to “protect my child from any harm.” I already have incidents where Daniel has visited my property, which Cheryl said in a statement to the police. When I saw Daniel, I became immediately alarmed. I was concerned for the safety of my family and my child. I wanted my son to see Daniel, but he was returning from the theater. I was concerned that he was looking for a home.
Of course, Cheryl has been dealing with her stalker while also processing the tragic death of her ex Liam, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16 last year. A post mortem later revealed the 31 year old had died of “internal and external haemorrhage” and multiple traumatic injuries, and the Argentinian prosecutor’s office said tests found traces of cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant in his system.
Although it became clear that Liam, who was born in Wolverhampton and was living with his parents until 2018, his ex would be jointly tasked with managing his £28 million fortune, which he had left behind.
Our source claims that Cheryl will be focused on taking care of her son as the anniversary of Liam’s death draws near and Bannister is currently in jail.
“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.”
