Cheryl Joins Liam Payne In Fightback Against Ugly Internet Trolls

Liam Payne knows all too well that One Direction fandom can be a very strange and sometimes frightening thing. Payne understands that the vast majority of One Direction fans are kind, considerate, and caring; you only have to look at the huge variety of fan-led charitable projects to understand that. Sadly, Liam also knows that a small minority of One Direction fans are hunched over their keyboards, ready to launch a vindictive torrent of hatred at anyone who challenges their view of the world. Sadly, Liam has been the victim of this abuse on numerous occasions himself.

Back in August, Liam was subjected to a torrent of abuse and claims that he was homophobic after making a poorly phrased comment during a One Direction concert. Daily Mail reported at the time that Payne was introducing a song when he used gender specific language that offended some fans.

“This is my favorite song off the last album, and it is about trying to find that number one woman of your life – which none of you can relate to, ’cause most of you are girls. Except for the boys in here… you know what I’m talking about.”

Of course Payne could, and perhaps should, have chosen his words more carefully, given that One Direction have been very supportive of LGBTQA causes. However, it seems that a poor choice of words, in the pressure situation of a concert, where thousands are screaming at you, was sufficient for some fans to label Payne as homophobic.

Over the past five years, Payne has come to learn that anyone with whom he, or any member of One Direction, is romantically linked will need to develop a very thick skin in preparation for the hatred that will come their way. Time and again, Liam and his bandmates have had to stand by watching as anyone the press links them with is subjected to a torrent of abuse by the ugliest internet trolls.

Liam Payne and Cheryl joined by X Factor judge's mum for romantic dinner date – https://t.co/hAo5M6dvza https://t.co/I9I59VcLa2

— Liam Payne News (@LiamPayneACE) March 10, 2016

In recent weeks, it has been claimed that Liam is dating former X-Factor judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini. Many of Payne’s fans believe that Liam’s romance with Cheryl is no more than a PR stunt to boost her flagging career and to hype the next season of X-Factor. It would hardly be the first time that Liam or his bandmates have been used in such a stunt. Most of Payne’s fans simply shake their heads and say “here we go again.” Sadly, a small minority of Payne’s “so-called” fans see this as a green light to attack both Liam and Cheryl.

Earlier this week, Liam posted a picture of Cheryl on Instagram and added a caption saying that Cheryl was his “favorite woman in the world” As reported in Inquisitr yesterday, some fans accused Payne of disrespecting his mother when he made this simple comment. A scroll through the comments on Liam’s post reveals just how disturbed some of these fans are.

It seems that neither Liam nor Cheryl is prepared to allow the trolls to go unanswered. Liam took to Twitter to say that “the internet is a very dark place these days,” and the Mirror reports that Cheryl has hit back in her own way. Cheryl made a post to Instagram in which she says “girls compete with each other, women empower one another.” The Sun reports that Cheryl continued by saying that “trying to pull another person down, only speaks volumes about your character! and not a thing about theirs.”

It is, of course, understandable that many of Liam’s fans are concerned about Payne’s involvement with Cheryl, who is 10-years his senior and is still married to her French husband. Those facts sit uncomfortably with many of Liam’s fans. Whether or not Liam’s romance turns out to be a PR stunt, no amount of internet hatred by trolls will change the outcome.

One Direction are the first group to become global superstars on the back of becoming a social media phenomena. Sadly, Liam Payne and his bandmates are all too aware that social media is a double-edged sword. Payne understands that, no matter what he does, there will be a small group of hate-filled people who will attack him for it.

[Photo by: KGC-305/STAR MAX/IPx/AP]