Home is where the heart is for One Direction's Liam Payne

He is the boyband heartthrob who has girls across the world throwing themselves at his feet – but for Wolverhampton-born Liam Payne, there is nothing quite like a mother's love.

The One Direction star has splashed the cash on 52-year-old Karen and father Geoff with a £20,000 BMW and holidays to Florida.

Before 18-year-old Liam and his bandmates found success on Simon Cowell's X Factor TV show, Karen juggled her shifts as a nursery nurse to accompany Liam to all his auditions.

She was his chaperone at Cowell's home when he failed the Judges' Houses stage of programme when he first entered the competition in 2008.

Holidays were usually spent visiting Liam's grandfather Ken in Cornwall, but last year her superstar son treated his family to a break in Florida.

Karen, who lives in Bushbury with husband Geoff, a fitter at Goodrich aerospace and their two daughters Ruth, 21, and Nicola, 23, said: "I am incredibly proud of Liam and think of the other boys as our extended family.

"I was in HMV the other day and saw Liam and the boys on all the posters, CD covers and calendars.

"I had this huge grin on my face thinking 'that's my son'. You have to pinch yourself because it doesn't feel real. It has been like watching a real-life documentary seeing Liam's progress. Now we have screaming girls outside our window."

Having recently conquered the US, Liam and bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, have set their sights on success Down Under.

Liam and Louis wooed the girls in Austrailia when they were photographed in swimwear as they both tested their skills on the waves.

Fellow 1D members Harry, Niall and Zayn shied away from the rays after being mobbed outside Sydney's Sunrise on the Seven studio before a guest appearance.

Last month, it emerged that 1D had made history as the first UK pop group to debut at number one on America's Billboard album chart.

Up All Night went straight into the top spot on the 200-album chart, selling 176,000 copies in the US in the space of a week. It also topped the digital charts within minutes of its release.