Girls Aloud stars Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were among the first mourners to arrive at Liam Payne’s funeral, as the One Direction star was finally laid to rest on Wednesday.
She was greeted with a kiss by Simon Jones, the former PR for One Direction who now acts for Cheryl.
Other mourners greeted her as they stood at the entrance to the church waiting for the doors to open.
The road outside the church was closed to traffic with mourners being dropped at a side door before walking past gravestones to the main entrance.
The arrivals were being carefully managed by the private security firm.
Girls Aloud stars Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were among the first mourners to arrive at Liam Payne ‘s funeral, as the One Direction star was finally laid to rest on Wednesday
Kimberley (pictured) was among some of the first mourners who arrived for Liam’s funeral, following his death on October 16
Liam, pictured in Dubai last year, died aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires
A small crowd of onlookers had gathered, but most were local residents rather than young One Direction fans.
Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32, are all expected to be present in what is believed to be their first public meeting as a group since their last concert in 2015. Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25, is also reportedly coming.
A church source said a choir and musicians will perform at the service, which is set to begin at 1pm. One of the floral displays shows bowling pins and a ball – a nod to his love of bowling, with Ms Cassidy said he did four times a week.
The funeral’s location has been a closely guarded secret, and local residents only realised it was taking place when ‘no parking’ signs were erected around the church.
Two traffic enforcement officers patrolled the area handing out tickets to any drivers ignoring the signs.
Payne travelled to Argentina in September where he watched former bandmate Niall Horan perform and also saw his close friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores. He had extended his stay to renew his visa to live in the US when the tragedy occurred.
The entrance of the church which is hosting the service has been decorated with candle lanterns and white roses that have been arranged in surrounding shrubbery.
One source told The Sun: ‘His family have gone to great lengths to put together the perfect service and give him the send off he deserves.
Nicola was joined by Simon Jones , the former PR for One Direction who now acts for Cheryl
She and Kimberley arrived for the funeral to support Liam’s ex Cheryl
Kimberley shielded her eyes with sunglasses as she headed into the church
The road outside the church was closed to traffic with mourners being dropped at a side door before walking past gravestones to the main entrance
‘Liam may have been a global superstar but to Geoff and Karen he will always be their little boy. It is going to be an incredibly difficult day.’
In a joint statement released following Payne’s death, Tomlinson, Malik, Horan, and Styles said they were ‘completely devastated.’
‘In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say,’ they said.
‘But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.
‘The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us.
‘We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’
Tomlinson, Styles and Malik all later released separate tributes.
Styles wrote on Instagram that he was ‘truly devastated’ and will ‘miss him always’.
‘His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.
