How Cheryl and her 1D toyboy caught each other's eye

You only have to look into her eyes to see that Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has fallen for One Direction star Liam Payne.

The X Factor judge has posted a selfie on Instagram, doctored to show herself with bright purple irises - aping an image the boyband star posted a week earlier .

She put the picture online on Friday, as news broke of the relationship with her new toyboy lover. And it wasn't the first hint of their affair.

On February 14 Liam tweeted: "Happy Valentine's Day, Baby" with a picture of a rose - and he had the same flowers tattooed on to his hand, resembling the one Cheryl has on her lower back.

Last night it emerged that Simon Cowell had played matchmaker between Cheryl, 32, and Liam, 22.

A friend of the couple told The Mail on Sunday that he set them up in December last year. He was mentoring Liam after the temporary break up of One Direction, and Cheryl's marriage to Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini was on the rocks.

The friend said: "Simon was Cheryl's confidant when he saw the relationship going to pot. It was his suggestion, and with his encouragement, that she got together with Liam, who's a really sweet boy."

A source said: "Simon doesn't think the age difference is an issue. He jokes that Cheryl cannot be left to choose her own men as she always goes wrong."

The pair first met when Liam auditioned for the X Factor when he was just 16.

-Daily Mail