• Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has done her first interview
  • Payne passed away in October 2024 at the age of 31
  • He and Cassidy had been dating for two years
Payne's girlfriend Kate
Liam Payne and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy in March 2024 Credit: Imago

Kate Cassidy, Liam Payne’s girlfriend has broken her silence on his death. The influencer did an exclusive interview with The Sun released on February 5. In the interview, the 25-year-old spoke about life after her boyfriend’s death and answered all the burning questions. Payne died in October 2024 in Buenos Aries, Argentina, after falling from a hotel balcony. Payne’s girlfriend didn’t say anything damning about him. Most of what she said was heartbreaking and sweet. One of the details included that she didn’t leave Payne there because of an argument, she went to look after their dog.

Kate Cassidy’s Instagram tribute to Liam

Back in October, the influencer posted a touching tribute to him on Instagram a few days after his death. She hasn’t posted any other photos on Instagram since his passing.

In her tribute, she posted a photo of them hugging followed by a statement. In the statement, she praised Payne for bringing “happiness and positivity to everyone”. She also called him her “best friend, love of my life”. Cassidy also reflected on struggling to live without him there, and that together, they were kids again. She concluded by saying how much light he brought into her life and revealed that the two were planning to marry. She said she’d “love him for the rest of [her] life, and beyond”. Wack out the tears, anyone?

Read More: One Direction Members Pay Tribute To Liam Payne

However, not everyone was impressed with Payne’s girlfriend and her interview. Many were confused about her choice of tabloid since The Sun was not always liked by One Direction, according to fans. On the other hand, many others praised her courage for speaking out. How did the internet react, and what are people saying? We will break it down.

What did Liam Payne’s girlfriend say in her interview?

To preface the interview, Cassidy took to her Instagram Stories to explain her reasoning behind it.

The Instagram statement

Liam Payne's girlfriend's statement on the interview
Kate Cassidy’s statement on her interview with The Sun. Credit: Instagram

What led to the interview

Cassidy told her 800,000 followers about her experience grieving as Payne’s girlfriend. She began: “The past few months have been truly heartbreaking. I keep hoping I’ll wake up and this was all a bad dream. Most days I feel numb and broken. The weight of it all feels unbearable.”

She shared that what prompted her to do the interview was the fans who were “seeking clarity” about Payne’s death.

She continued, “This is my first interview while I navigate the pain of losing Liam, so please bear with me as I share my experience, which I hope will be received with compassion and understanding.”

“Thank you so much for your kindness and support. It means more than I can put into words. Love, Kate,” the statement concluded.

The interview

Now, let’s get into the interview. Cassidy spoke candidly about her experience after and before Payne’s death. One of the biggest reveals from Liam Payne’s girlfriend was that he was in “such a good headspace” when she left. Rumors swirled about the two arguing, resulting in her leaving Buenos Aries.

Cassidy told the tabloid: “I had a responsibility, we had a responsibility. We had our dog and obviously I never, ever thought this event would occur.” The two shared a dog called Nala.

Her grief

On her grief, Cassidy began the interview by saying her “life has changed so much” and that she “[thinks] about Liam every day”. Describing her nights, she said those times are the hardest when she is alone when it’s quiet. Cassidy also revealed she had been going through grief counseling. The influencer described the feeling as “raw”, even though four months have passed.

The day

She spoke about leaving for the dog and where she was when she found out he passed. “I was in our home alone, I was with our dog. I was alone and still just thinking about that is…it’s just insane to me.”

Cassidy said she’d been on social media scrolling when she received a call from one of Payne’s friends that he had died. On the call, the influencer said she “didn’t believe it at first” and it is “blocked out” in her head.

The news wasn’t something she believed, she thought someone had made it up for “views online”. To try and debunk it, she said she tried to call and text him, as well as everybody else she could think of.

On that first night, she said she didn’t feel like it was “real” and was “hysterical”. The moment she broke down, she said was when she realized because they’d moved into a new house, she wouldn’t see him again, so she broke down on the couch with her mom.

Before his passing, the last text Cassidy sent to him was about their new house, and her saying she couldn’t wait for him, Nala, and her to be a family again. Honestly, who is cutting onions?

Liam’s mental health

Cassidy spoke delicately about addiction. When she left, she said that they’d had a “great day” and that Payne was in “such a good headspace”.

“We were in such a great place, full of love. And I never would’ve expected any of that to occur,” she said.

The funeral

Cassidy described the funeral saying she went with her mom and their mutual friends. She described the funeral as “beautiful” and a “day I’ll never forget”.

Liam Payne’s addiction

In the past, the One Direction star was open about his drug use and alcoholism. He spoke to many outlets about it, including a point of ‘hitting rock bottom’. “

On his addiction and their relationship, Cassidy said: “I stuck with Liam through thick and thin. I think love is so optimistic and you just hope that everything will work out.”

The interviewer asked Cassidy if she ever saw Payne dying at a young age, to which she answered no. “You never think that the worst possible thing can happen. No matter what it is, whether it’s a family member getting sick, or a car, it doesn’t matter.”

She concluded by saying she never thought it would happen and if she could see into the future, she wouldn’t have left Argentina. Cassidy said they would often “travel separately” so she didn’t anticipate anything bad happening.

The interview has part two, another where Cassidy will talk about her experience with Directioners.

How did the internet react?

Doubt towards Cassidy

The internet had mixed reactions to Liam Payne’s girlfriend and her words in the interview. One of the universal reactions to the interview was the hashtag, JusticeForLiam, which has over 6,000 posts on X. Many fans came at Cassidy for the interview, and moments in her relationship with Payne.

Some fans on X called the interview “scripted” and claimed she wasn’t crying during it. One person on X even called Cassidy out for having “crocodile tears”. Well…harsh.

One fan wrote about Payne’s distaste for the tabloid and asked fans to think about that. They said: “Liam Payne didn’t like The Sun, he publicly called their BS out SEVERAL times, and now his so-called girlfriend is doing an exclusive interview with them. For money. Think about that for a second. And tell me where you stand. I’m curious.”

Meanwhile, another X user posted pictures of Cassidy crying and wrote: “Where are the tears please? Lol. Give her an Oscar, please. ” Wow.

Another fan of Payne’s under the hashtag said the interview was good, only for debunking accusations about Payne. Rumors had swirled about the singer’s character, although this wasn’t mentioned in the interview. The relationship between Directioners and Payne could be mentioned in part 2 of Cassidy’s interview, though.

Support for Liam Payne’s girlfriend

However, other X users were supportive of Payne’s girlfriend doing the interview and speaking about her grief. One user posted a GIF of Niall Horan on The Voice pressing the buzzer and said: “Me liking and reposting every tweet defending Kate Cassidy.”

Another user pointed out that people grieve differently. “Why the f*** is everyone hating on Kate Cassidy for doing an interview… get a grip. ‘People don’t grieve like this’ Are you serious???? Everyone grieves differently,” they wrote.

Honestly, we are inclined to agree.

Another user wrote a sweet apology to Cassidy: “Kate Cassidy I am so sorry for the way this world treats you,” the user wrote.

No winning

Lastly, another user summed up the debate perfectly. On X, the user said: “Wild how people villianize Kate Cassidy, meanwhile when Liam died, people were demanding for her to speak out. Damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t. Life in a nutshell.”

To summarize…yes. Shaming a young woman in how she deals with grieving her famous boyfriend is crazy. Maybe the interview isn’t the right thing in the eyes of fans, but they don’t know what Liam Payne’s girlfriend is going through. And vice versa.

Stay tuned for updates on Part 2 of Cassidy’s interview.

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Sophie Humphrey
Sophie Humphrey is a freelance writer and journalist. Sophie has seven years experience in journalism and has a keen interest in pop culture and entertainment. Sophie has worked for the likes of Time Out London, The Upcoming and Screen rant.
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