Liam Payne’s bereaved girlfriend Kate Cassidy admitted she hopes his death was ‘all just a bad dream’, she wrote in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Wednesday.
The One Direction singer fell to his death from a third floor balcony following a drink and drug binge while staying at the upscale CasaSur hotel in Palermo on October 16.
After breaking her silence for the first time, Kate, 25, took to social media to further reflect on her ‘unbearable’ past few months grieving, admitting she feels ‘numb and broken’ most days.
She wrote: ‘The past few months have been truly heartbreaking. I keep hoping I’ll wake and this was all just a bad dream.
‘Most days I feel numb and broken. The weight of it all feels unbearable.
‘However, after receiving thousands of messages from Liam’s fans seeking clarity during this devastating time, I wanted to share an insight into the relationship with the love of my life.
Liam Payne’s bereaved girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25, admitted she hopes his death was ‘all just a bad dream’, she wrote in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Wednesday
The One Direction singer fell to his death from a third floor balcony following a drink and drug binge while staying at the upscale CasaSur hotel in Palermo on October 16
After breaking her silence for the first time, Kate took to social media to further reflect on her ‘unbearable’ past few months grieving, admitting she feels ‘numb and broken’ most days
‘This is my first ever interview while I navigate the pain of losing Liam, so please bear with me as I share my experience, which I hope will be recievied with compassion and understanding.
‘Thank you so much for your kindness and support. It means more than I can put into words.
‘Love, Kate.’
In an interview with The Sun, Kate said she fell in love with the tragic star as a child after becoming a fan of his former band, One Direction.
Liam’s American girlfriend Kate had originally accompanied him to Argentina, ostensibly to watch his touring former bandmate Niall Horan perform at Buenos Aires venue Movistar Arena.
But the influencer had boarded a flight back to her Florida home little more than 24-hours before his death, aged just 31.
Kate admitted she had a soft spot for the singer long before they met and embarked on a relationship that would see her accompany him on lavish trips across the world.
She said: ‘Liam was my childhood crush. I have loved him since I was ten. I think we were meant to meet.
Kate said she fell in love with the tragic star as a child after becoming a fan of his former band, One Direction
The singer shot to fame in 2010 on The X Factor with former bandmates Niall Horan , Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson , despite initially auditioning separately
‘Growing up, I had posters on walls. I think I had a One Direction one but I don’t know if I had his solo poster. But I did have him at some point on my wall.
‘He was genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. I didn’t care about the other stuff. Our relationship was full of love and laughter and light.’
Kate originally met the singer in 2022 – six years after One Direction broke up – during a night out at a bar in Charleston, South Carolina.
After swapping numbers they went bowling on their first date, but the influencer insists she didn’t think it would blossom into a relationship.
She recalled: ‘I was definitely kind of starstruck but mainly I was thinking about the connection we had.
‘We lived on different sides of the world. It didn’t occur to me we might end up dating.’
Liam’s medical cause of death has now been announced to be ‘polytrauma’, a term which means a person has multiple traumatic injuries to their body.
Five people have been charged over his death in Argentina after he fell from a third-floor balcony of the CasaSur Hotel.
Kate is pictured attending late boyfriend Liam’s funeral in Amersham on November 20
Liam’s American girlfriend Kate had originally accompanied him to Argentina, ostensibly to watch his touring former bandmate Niall Horan perform in Buenos Aires
The hotel’s manager, a receptionist and a friend of Payne have been charged with manslaughter, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office previously said in a statement.
They are reported to be hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi and Payne’s friend Roger Nores. Two other people have been charged over the supply of drugs.
But due to the ongoing investigation, Kate could not divulge too much information and did not confirm whether or not she had spoken to Roger.
She insisted, however, that when she left Argentina, Payne was in ‘such a good headspace’ and the couple were more in love than ever.
Kate has dismissed cruel accusations that she abandoned the singer before his death, revealing that she had only returned to their Florida home to look after their rescue dog, Nala.
She was home when she received the call telling her Liam had died.
She said it felt like a ‘blackout moment’, struggling to believe the news at first. She even tried calling his phone – and it still rang.
The content creator admitted she felt blessed that she did not receive the harrowing news via social media.
The influencer had boarded a flight back to her Florida home so she could take care of their rescue dog, little more than 24-hours before his death, aged just 31
Liam’s devastated fans embrace one another outside the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires following his tragic death last October
Instead she had been in the comfort of their home with their beloved dog before one of Liam’s friends called her.
She then contacted her boyfriend’s family and her mother caught the first flight out to visit her grieving daughter as she attempted to process the devastating news.
She later realised that her last text to Liam had been completely ordinary: “I can’t wait for you to get home and see the house.” She had spent time decorating for Halloween, excited to show him.
Three days after his death, a worker she had hired to fix the decorations messaged, asking if Liam had liked the Halloween surprise.
That was the moment, she said, when it finally sank in that he was never coming home.
Liam had spoken openly about his mental health struggles and past battles with addiction. He had tried both therapy and rehab.
On the night of his death, his hotel room was littered with drug paraphernalia and an opened champagne bottle.
Kate said his relapse seemed to come ‘out of nowhere’, and she had never imagined he was in such a fragile state.
Still grieving, she has been seeing a grief therapist and struggles to listen to Liam’s music. ‘Maybe one day,’ she said, ‘but not right now.’
