Liam Payne’s death in October 2024 was a surprising and unfortunate circumstance for fans, but even more so for the ones he left behind.
Six months later, the former One Direction member’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, spoke about how she’s been coping with the aftermath on a podcast.
Kate Cassidy Looks Back on How She Found Out About Liam Payne’s Death
Liam Payne is still in Kate Cassidy’s thoughts six months after his death, and she revealed in detail on a podcast the harrowing way she discovered the news.
On the April 16 episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, she recalled hearing the news first from one of the singer’s friends, three days after she left Payne in Argentina.
Cassidy said she was at their shared home in Florida during this time and got a phone call from a worried friend.
The 26-year-old influencer said he asked her if Liam was okay because he had heard about the incident. At first, Cassidy thought nothing too serious had happened.
In October, the boy band singer fell from the hotel balcony where they had been staying. Somehow, Cassidy was under the impression that he was only suffering from broken ribs and tried not to think of the “worst-case scenario.”
Unfortunately, after moments of no clear updates, Cassidy said she called Payne’s friend again to find out what was truly happening.
“He was like, ‘The only update I’ve heard is that Liam’s ... dead,’” she told Shetty.
News of Payne falling from the third floor quickly spread to the public. Fans clamored for updates — especially his family and friends.
Cassidy remembered her phone getting flooded with messages and calls from people close to her, and even from those she “hadn’t spoken to in years.”
After Payne’s friend, who had called her first, told her “Liam’s not here anymore,” Cassidy still found it hard to process the truth.
“I still didn’t really believe it. I just kept saying, ‘No, no, no. Are you sure? He probably just ... broke a bone. He broke a rib. He broke something,’”
After a while, Payne’s death sank in, and that’s when she started breaking down. Thankfully, she wasn’t alone in dealing with the aftermath at the time.
Cassidy said on the podcast that her housekeeper came back to the home, even though she was already off-duty, and stayed with her to offer comfort and company.
Kate Cassidy Shares Liam Payne’s Final Conversation with Her
Cassidy also shared on the podcast her last words and “heartfelt” final goodbye with Payne.
She recalled going back to Florida ahead of her boyfriend of two years. The couple had a two-week vacation in the country, but Cassidy stated in February that the reason she returned home early was because they were worried about their dog, Nala.
She continued, “I just kept going on and on and on about how much I love him and how much he means to me, and how much I’m going to miss him,"
Cassidy told Shetty that she and Payne were at a positive point in their lives, where they embraced changes after moving to America from England and getting a new pet.
“And he laughed and he interrupted me, and he just said, ‘Kate, you’re gonna miss your flight, your car is in the driveway … You’re acting like this is the last time you’re ever gonna see me again.’”
The singer-songwriter, who died at the age of 31, had opened up about his mental health struggles in the past, but Cassidy claimed that he was in a good “headspace” when she left him.
His death was ruled an accident. However, his toxicology report revealed traces of alcohol and drugs in his system.
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