Liam Payne praises partner and new mother Cheryl as 'mum of the year'

He praised the star for taking "hard" motherhood in her stride while also supporting his debut as a solo musician this year.

His comments came during the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards in London on Tuesday.

Describing his introduction to fatherhood as a daily "learning curve," he told ITV's Lorraine: "She's been amazing, she's been literally the best mum in the world. That's all I can ask for.

"Obviously she's supported me going off and doing my thing with my career and stuff, but she literally has been the mum of the year. She's amazing."

Adding a word of advice to viewers, he said: "Look after the women in your life because, honestly, what I've learned more than anything about being a dad is how hard it is to be a mum.

"It's such a hard thing, she hasn't had any help from anybody, she's done it all herself and I think she's truly amazing."

The One Direction star, 23, recently released his first solo single Strip That Down.

He stormed to success in the hit boy band after auditioning as a teenager for TV talent show The X Factor where he first met his partner-to-be.

Payne and Cheryl joined the list of celebrity first-time parents of the year when they welcomed baby Bear to the world in March.

Latest on the list are George and Amal Clooney who had their first children, twins Ella and Alexander, at a London hospital on Tuesday.