Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has shared her final moments with the late singer, and defended her plans to travel on the first anniversary of his death.
The soloist and former One Direction member died on October 16 last year after he fell from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires. The Argentinian prosecutor’s office shared at the time that his cause of death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding. He was 31 years old.
Cassidy had been with Payne in Argentina on holiday prior to his death, where they had also watched Payne’s One Direction bandmate Niall Horan‘s concert. Before Payne’s death, Cassidy returned home as she had “responsibilities” to take care of.
Now, one year since his death, Cassidy has taken to social media to share the final interaction that she had with Payne, and urged others to take time to express their feelings to loved ones.
Speaking on a video shared to TikTok, Cassidy began: “One year ago today on October 12 was the last day that I spent with Liam. I come on here, not to cry. I woke up and I’ve never felt this numb… somebody could slap me across the face and I wouldn’t be fazed. So if I don’t seem like I have a ton of emotions, that is why.”
@kateecass
“I want to express how important it is to really remind your loved ones how much you love them. You never know what tomorrow brings,” she continued, recalling her last day with her partner. “The last day that I was with Liam in Argentina before I left, the car was in the driveway and I was sitting on the couch expressing to him how much I was going to miss him, how much I love him.
“It’s so weird to look back at because it was such a long, heartfelt goodbye. He looked at me and he said ‘You’re going to miss your flight, you’re acting like this is the last time you’re ever going to see me again’. Little did I know, it literally was the last time I got to see him. I’m so glad we had that last goodbye the way it was.”
She also shared a second video, defending her decision to take a trip on the one year anniversary of his death, and explained that the move is something she believes Payne would want her to do.
“Grief comes in so many waves. I feel like no matter what I do, I get commentary,” she shared. “For those who do not know, October 16 is the day that my late partner passed away. I’ve said this multiple times before in the past, I like to stay busy. It keeps my mind positive, it keeps my mind active.”
“Doing nothing, laying in bed and sitting around the house does not-good things for my headspace. It reminds me of a really dark place I was in last year, and I am finally starting to see the light again in life,” she added, explaining why she would be going on a trip.
@kateecass
“I got offered to go on this trip with a brand and it’s for two nights. It’s a very wholesome trip. If it was a partying kind of trip, I would not be wanting to go,” she shared. “Originally, when this brand reached out for me to go on this trip, I was like ‘No, these days are not going to work for me.’ Then after a lot of consideration, I was like ‘I know Liam would want me to go’… so I’m going to pack now and try my hardest to enjoy this trip.”
Earlier this year, Cassidy gave a rare interview on Lorraine, in which she spoke about the emotional toll Payne’s loss had taken on her. There, she admitted that she had “better days” and “harder days”, but hadn’t yet got accustomed to referring to Payne in the past tense.
Shortly before then, she told The Sun that Payne was in “such a good headspace” when she left Argentina but that “you never know when [his addiction] is gonna come out.”
Around the time of his death, Cassidy shared a touching tribute and shared what it was like to be with Payne since 2022.
“Thank you for all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way,” she said. “I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real. I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.”
She would later go on to say that leaving Liam Payne alone in Argentina before his death is something that will “haunt her for the rest of her life”.
The post Liam Payne’s girlfriend recalls “heartfelt” final moments with singer, defends plans for first anniversary of his death appeared first on NME.