The late Liam Payne's partner Kate Cassidy has issued a statement following a tell-all interview on the star's death and her grief.
Kate, 25, recently opened up about her relationship with the former One Direction member in her first interview since his death last year. Singer Liam died, aged 31, after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October.
The content creator spoke in the new interview, released on Wednesday, about having first met Liam in 2022 and the last text message that she sent the singer before his death. Kate also recalled how she heard that he had died.
Kate also addressed her decision to leave Argentina days before Liam died, suggesting she had a "responsibility" to return home. She said: "I had a responsibility, we had a responsibility. We had our dog and obviously I never, ever thought this event would occur."
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Instagram)Although the interview has been met with some support, there's also been a backlash towards Kate. One person wrote on X: "Someone who truly loved or respected Liam wouldn’t sell their story to a sensationalist tabloid. This is neither bravery nor sincerity; it’s pure financial interest. Kate shows, once again, that for her, money outweighs respect for Liam’s memory and those who still mourn him." Another wrote: "Kate Cassidy saying Liam was "the love of her life" is exactly like Roger Nores saying Liam was a "dear friend" = CRINGE." A third wrote: ""Have a little attention, you're starving." While a fourth commented a string of snake emojis on her recent Instagram post.
Others have however defended her against the backlash, with one person writing: "how horrible do you have to be to send death threats to a grieving woman? grow up. kate cassidy doesn’t deserve this sort of hate, all over what? she misses liam so deeply. liam would think you’re all s***ty for this". Another added: "Wild how people villianize Kate Cassidy, meanwhile when Liam died, people were demanding for her to speak out. Damned if she does, damned if she doesn't. Life in a nutshell." While a third added: "if you hate kate cassidy so much why are you so bothered by her? because your fav liam loved her? because she was the one in a relationship with him? if you’re jealous just say so."
Following the release of the interview this week with The Sun, Kate shared a message for fans through her Instagram Story and shared her reasons behind speaking out after the backlash. She told her followers on Wednesday night that she "wanted to share an insight" into her relationship with Liam and expressed hope that her account will be received with "compassion".
Kate wrote in her message on the platform: "The past few months have been truly heartbreaking. I keep hoping I'll wake up and this was all just a bad dream. Most days I feel numb and broken. The weight of it all feels unbearable."
She continued by telling her followers: "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."
Fans were further told in the recent post: "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 received with compassion and understanding."
Kate concluded the message by expressing her gratitude for the support that she's received from fans. She wrote at the end of the post: "Thank you so much for your kindness and support. It means more than I can put into words."
Kate has previously paid tribute to Liam in the months since his death, including having posted about him just days after he died in October. She wrote in a post at the time: "Liam, my angel. You are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam."
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