Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy: “Must accept that he is not here”

After the tragic death of One-Direction singer Liam Payne (1993-2024) in October 2024, his partner Kate Cassidy (25) gave her first TV interview. The 25-year-old influencer spoke openly about her continuing grief and the difficulty of processing the loss on Wednesday.

The former One Direction Star died on October 16, 2024 at the age of 31 after a fall from the balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires. “I find myself constantly talking about him in the contemporary form,” Cassidy admitted in a fragile voice. “I see no need to correct myself because it is part of my healing trip.” Liam Payne’s partner was visibly with the emotions during the interview. “I am still working on accepting the fact that he is no longer here.”

The thought of talking about Payne in the past form is difficult for her. “When I talk about him in the past, it always stings a little more. I never thought that I would ever have to talk about him. It is definitely really difficult to accept,” said Cassidy in tears. You have never lost someone who is close to her. “This is the first time that I have to deal with something like that,” said the 25-year-old. “I’m trying to do my best. I have my better days and my more difficult days.” Despite the grief and pain, she looks back on the time together with gratitude: “I will always have so much love for him. His presence was simply comforting and warm, and I will never forget that.”

Cassidy called the common dog Nala as a special support in her mourning phase. The animal force them to leave the house every day and go for a walk. “Whether it’s a five -minute or a 20 -minute walk – it wakes me up and refreshes my mind,” she said. “Instead of lying in bed all day and scrolling through social media or old photos, it brings me out and really helps my attitude and my mental health.” She also tries to be as productive as possible and do “small things like yoga” to organize her thoughts.

With her interview, Kate Cassidy showed the support for the “March4march” campaign for mental health launched by the show. “I do everything I can do in the field of mental health to help someone, I want to help people feel less alone and to do their grief and healing better,” she said in the conversation. Cassidy explained that Liam, who spoke all openly about his own problems with mental health, “wanted” that she was part of the campaign because “he can no longer help people”. In memory of her late partner, Cassidy also often carries a necklace of angel wings: “I feel closer to Liam.”

In an interview with “The Sun”, Cassidy, who was in Argentina with Payne and left early due to her dog, stated that Payne was in a “good mental condition” before she left. “Obviously, if I knew it, if I could have looked into the future, I would never have left Argentina.” A toxicological report in November had shown that Payne had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in the body in the 72 hours before his death.