Daddy of all dates! Liam Payne has his year of birth tattooed on his arm... as he continues to keep quiet on rumours Cheryl has welcomed their baby

• e-mail

Fans are continuing to speculate over whether Cheryl has welcomed their first child.

But Liam Payne has kept them guessing with a different date of birth - his own.

The One Direction hunk, 23, has added to his extensive tattoo collection with a huge new inking - 1993, to make the year he was born.

Scroll down for video 

Daddy of all dates: Liam Payne has kept fans guessing about swirling baby rumours with a different date of birth - his own

It could be a nod to his new role as a father as fans eagerly await the confirmation that he and girlfriend Cheryl are now first-time parents.

Other than the image, Liam has kept increasingly quiet on social media in recent months as the pair have withdrawn from making regular posts.

However, the 33-year-old singer did break her social media silence on Wednesday, when she shared an empowering post while marking International Women's Day.

Adding the caption 'it's handled' - in reference to Kerry Washington's Scandal character Olivia Pope - she shared a quote from East Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, which read: 'The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because s**t worked out. 

Oh baby! It could be a nod to his new role as a father as fans eagerly await the confirmation that he and girlfriend Cheryl are now first-time parents

Profound words: Cheryl shared an empowering quote on Instagram as she marked International Women's Day on Wednesday

It's handled: The singer shared a quote from East Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert

'They got that way because s**t went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways, but they handled it. Those women are my superheroes.'

While the majority of her followers who commented on the words expressed their appreciation for the words she chose to share, many requested baby news.

'Does anyone know if she is a mum yet?' asked one, while another seemed more confident in the idea, stating: 'Congrats On The Baby Good Luck Becoming a Mom.'

Bumping along nicely: Cheryl has remained quiet about the pregnancy with her One Direction hunk boyfriend Liam Payne yet confirmed her baby news late last month when she unveiled her bump in a promo shot for L'Oreal Paris' new campaign

Her quote comes days after eagle-eyed fans spotted that the star commented on her pal and former Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh's recent snap depicting her cosying up to her kids.

The image in question saw the mother-of-two holding her sleeping son Bobby, two, while looking at her two-month-old son Cole on a baby monitor - under which Cheryl posted a hilarious joke about the tots.

Cheryl has remained quiet about the pregnancy with her One Direction hunk boyfriend Liam Payne yet confirmed her baby news late last month when she unveiled her huge bump in a promo shot for L'Oreal Paris' new campaign. 

Look at them! While Cheryl remains tight-lipped over any baby news, eagle-eyed fans spotted the star has been commenting on her pal and former Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh's recent snap depicting her cosying up to her kids

Rumours are rumbling among fans, speculating that the star has already given birth, so the appearance of the songstress on her pal's Instagram naturally raised alert. 

As a serene-looking Kimberley, who shares her kids with husband Justin Scott, lay with Bobby in an Ergobaby carrier, a celebrity favourite acknowledged as ‘hip healthy’ by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute - a harness used by stars including Oliva Wilde, Gwen Stefani, January Jones and Julia Roberts. 

She also held up a video baby monitor depicting Cole in a slumber while Cheryl wrote: 'Baby cole.. sleeping him,him,him,him.. himm'.

Me and you: Cheryl and Kimberley have remained firm friends since meeting when Girls Aloud formed on pioneering talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, before they disbanded in 2013

Her comment was in reference to a video posted by Kimberley last week, which showed Bobby holding a toy guitar and toy drum kit while making up a song about his brother sleeping, coining the lyrics Cheryl attached to the snap.

Kimberley responded to the joke with a series of laugh face Emojis, while fans were in uproar at Cheryl's social media presence, delightedly responding to the star.

Fans penned: 'thanks. ... that's now stuck in my head again... we see you... him him him...omg that's gunna be stuck in my head now... oh you crack me up... Surely its not long now until your beautiful baby is here...' 

Kimberley was clearly in the mood to share of late as she also took to the photosharing site to post an incredibly sweet snap of little Cole. 

Cheryl and Kimberley have remained firm friends since meeting when Girls Aloud formed on pioneering talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, before they disbanded in 2013.   

Him, him, him, him: Her comment was in reference to a video posted last week, which showed Bobby holding a toy guitar and making up a song with the same lyrics Cheryl penned

Aww! Kimberley was clearly in the mood to share of late as she also took to the photosharing site to post an incredibly sweet snap of little Cole

While she's yet to publicly confirm that she's expecting her first child with Liam, Cheryl's bulging baby bump has all but announced the news.

Cheryl and Liam first met in 2008 when he was an aspiring teenage contestant on The X Factor and she was a judge. 

Baby-faced Liam was 14 when he first auditioned for the show but he returned as a solo artist in 2010 only to be partnered with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, who went on to become global boyband One Direction.

They went public with their romance in February, just weeks after Cheryl announced her split from second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini after 18 months of marriage.

But the genetically-blessed twosome are said to have started dating in secret as early as December 2015. Cheryl first showed off her bump before Christmas when she attended the Fayre of St. James Christmas Concert in London in November. 

Glowing: Cheryl and Liam first met in 2008 when he was an aspiring teenage contestant on The X Factor and she was a judge

Happy couple: Baby-faced Liam was 14 when he first auditioned for the show but he returned as a solo artist in 2010 only to be partnered with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, who went on to become global boyband One Direction