Liam Payne’s fiancee sobs as she reveals why she left him in Argentina days before death but insists ‘I’m not to blame’

LIAM Payne’s devastated girlfriend has broken her silence about the One Direction star’s final days — and her regret at leaving him alone before his death.

US influencer Kate Cassidy, 25, hit back at critics who accused her of abandoning Liam in Argentina where he fell to his death from a hotel balcony last October.

She tells of their “fairytale romance”, how she supported him “through thick and thin” and shares touching photographs, including her last snap of Liam, 31.

In her first global interview since the tragedy, Kate reveals her final message to the One Direction superstar — the “charming soulmate” she planned to marry.

Kate told The Sun: “Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end. Obviously if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina.”

She debunked internet conspiracy theories that she’d returned to their Florida home after a break-up and rows — explaining she dashed back to look after their rescue dog, Nala.

Kate also believes his fall from a hotel balcony last October was an accident and not suicide.

Recalling her trip 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.

“It was a tragic accident and no, I never did think (he might die young). But, you know, we did have our own separate lives — this wasn’t the first time we have travelled separately.

“I just never thought this would have happened, that it would turn out the way it did.”

Kate added: “It still doesn’t feel fully real for me that he’s not here.

“I’m trying to be the best I can be, but I feel like my life has changed so much. I think about Liam every second of every day.

“From the moment I met Liam, I genuinely believed we were soulmates; he was the most humble, charming, normal person you could ever hope to come across, and genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life.

“That he won’t be there with me to navigate through this life, that I’ll have to deal with this without him by my side . . . it’s really hard.

“You don’t think about the worst possible thing that can happen.”

Since Liam’s death, Kate has left their rented Florida mansion and moved back to New Jersey.

She flew to London for our interview. Visibly nervous, she has been seeing a grief therapist in the last three and a half months

At times, Kate spoke about Liam in the present tense before correcting herself: “When we’re away from each other, we’re not really the clingiest when it comes to messaging . . . it wasn’t super-constant.”

She said she still calls Liam’s phone to hear his voicemail recording.

Initially she fell asleep listening to his music, but can no longer play any of it. “Maybe one day, but not right now,” she said.

The couple met in September 2022 when she was waitressing in Charleston, South Carolina.

Liam had been on a US road trip with friends when he was charmed by Kate. He delayed his flight back to London and the pair booked a hotel room and spent the next two days together.

Kate had recently graduated from college and was still considering her future. And, after meeting Liam, she realised a nine to five job was impractical if she was to make their future work.

She turned to influencing, supported by loyal Liam, and now has more than 2.5 million followers across all platforms.

She even appeared to influence Liam, with the couple regularly appearing together in videos and photos, “Honestly, he embraced it,” she told me.

On the moment she heard of Liam’s death, she said: “I feel blessed I didn’t find out over social media because I just couldn’t even imagine that. I was in our home with our dog, scrolling TikTok and one of Liam’s friends called me.

“That moment, it’s like blank; it’s blacked out in my head.

“I didn’t believe it at first. I thought it was just a rumour. Or something that somebody made up just to get views. Then instantly I just had a bad feeling in my gut. I was like, ‘Why would somebody make this up? Is this true?’

'BLACKED OUT'

“And I feel like I just completely blacked out. When I officially found the news out to be true, I felt numb. I tried to call him. I called pretty much everybody.

“Then I was in touch with his family, and my mum got the first flight out to be with me. I remember pacing around the house — poor Nala thought I was trying to play, she kept jumping up at me. I didn’t sleep at all that night.”

Kate said Liam’s phone still rang out when she called it. She cannot remember their last phone conversation, but her last photo of Liam is of him on horseback when they went riding on Kate’s last morning in Argentina. She said: “He looks so happy.”

Her last text to him read: “I can’t wait for you to get home and see the house”. She spent considerable time and money sorting their Halloween decorations.

The text was so mundane and normal, she said, with no indication of Liam’s fragile state of mind.

The man she’d paid to help fix the lights texted her three days after Liam’s death asking if her boyfriend had liked his Halloween surprise. It was then that it hit her that Liam was not coming back.

Kate began to cry at this stage of our interview.

Liam had endured much-publicised battles with his mental health and had spoken openly and honestly about his addiction issues. He had tried both therapy and rehab.

On October 16, the day of his death, his hotel room was littered with drug paraphernalia and an opened champagne bottle. His relapse had come hard and fast. As far as Kate is concerned, it came from nowhere.

LIAM'S BATTLES

The hotel’s manager, a receptionist and Liam’s friend, Roger Nores, have since been charged with manslaughter. A waiter and another hotel worker face drugs charges.

Due to the investigation, Kate cannot say too much about what she believes happened.

She did not say if she has spoken to Roger.

Liam was seen throwing a laptop down on the ground minutes before returning to his bedroom. So what caused his relapse? Kate told me: “I don’t think I want to answer that because I literally wouldn’t even know.

“With addiction, you just never know when it’s going to come out.

“It’s a serious issue that is under-valued and under-spoken about.

“I supported Liam through thick and thin, and I always just loved his soul. I always wanted to be there for him.

“I genuinely always really did try to do anything I could do to help.

“You know, I’m 25, I’m not an expert with any of this, so it was hard. But I loved him and I loved him no matter what. I just did what I could do, and what I could manage to do.

“Liam was in such a good headspace when I left Argentina.

“We were in such a great place, just full of love; he was so happy and positive. And I just can’t even believe the way things truly ended.

“It’s genuinely insane to me how things can just be taken away from you so quickly in life, you never truly know what tomorrow will bring, you never know.”