Celebrity One Direction's Liam Payne and 'X Factor' Judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini Are Dating: Source The pair first met when Payne was performing on the British talent show with his future One Direction bandmates By Andrea Park Published on February 27, 2016 02:55 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: GVK/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images;Brian Rasic/WireImage Liam Payne‘s love life has taken a new direction. The One Direction singer is dating X Factor judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, PEOPLE confirms. The Sun was the first to report the romance, sharing that the pair have been dating since late 2015. Payne, 22, and Fernandez-Versini, 32, first met when Payne was competing on the X Factor in 2010 with his future One Direction bandmates, and have kept in touch since Fernandez-Versini signed with Modest, One Direction’s management company. It’s “been going on for awhile,” a source close to Fernandez-Versini tells PEOPLE. “Both are very similar and happy.” According to The Sun the pair’s romance developed in December after the X Factor finale where One Direction gave their final performance before starting their hiatus. Fernandez-Versini is currently in the midst of a divorce from Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, her husband of 19 months. Payne split up with longtime girlfriend Sophia Smith in October, shortly after revealing they had discussed getting married.