Liam Payne says having son Bear has ‘changed everything’ as he speaks out in support of London Pride: ‘He’s making me a better man’

Stars of music, film, fashion and sport have spoken out in support of Pride in London. Liam Payne, David Beckham, Pharrell Williams, Paloma Faith, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell all described what makes them proud as part of a campaign celebrating diversity and the LGBT+ community.

Former One Direction singer Payne, 24, who welcomed son Bear with fellow pop star Cheryl this year, said: “I think since I’ve had a little boy, everything changes in life. I’m aiming more for him to be prouder of me, and already he’s making me a better man, which I think is incredible.”

Beckham, 43, said: “What makes me proud in 2018 is the world that we live in — the diversity, the quality, the creativity ... I have a young family and I want them to grow up in a world where they are given a chance, where they are part of that diversity and equality. I think we’re in a really positive place and it can only get better.”

Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw admitted he never spoke about being gay at school, but now feels confident in his sexuality.

“I feel genuinely proud to be myself and proud to be gay, and growing up I was always a little bit scared to admit it, and definitely at school it was something I was never comfortable with and never spoke about,” he said.

“I think this year I’ve got to know myself lot more, and I feel confident in being a gay man, and I think that’s come from I guess the acceptance that I’ve experienced.”

David Furnish, 55, who has two sons, Zachary, seven, and Elijah, five, with husband Sir Elton John, 71, said: “What makes me feel prouder in 2018 is the amazing progress that’s been made with marriage equality.

“Many years ago, Elton and I started our journey with a civil partnership, and from that the laws changed in Britain to include marriage quality and we’ve seen that get picked up and taken around the world.”

As part of the Adidas campaign, each of the stars was given a pair of Samba trainers — the football shoe first released by Adidas in the Fifties — to decorate.

Beckham’s design was a nod to the soccer franchise in Miami he is setting up, Sir Elton inscribed inspirational messages on his trainers, while Faith, 36, went for a floral pattern.

The singer said: “It’s a homage to remind us in this weird moment in time where everything is very violent and aggressive, and vitriolic and conflicting, that nature reminds us to calm down and appreciate this world we’ve been given that we are adamantly destroying, that I’d hope we’d like to stop.”

The trainers will be in a free exhibition at the HENI Gallery in Soho during London Pride Week from July 4 to 10. Proceeds from an eBay auction on July 3 will go to the Albert Kennedy Trust, which helps members of the LGBTQ+ community facing homelessness. The Pride parade takes place on July 7.