Ex-SAS star Ant Middleton says Liam Payne ‘was like a younger brother to me’

Former SAS: Who Dares Wins big Ant Middleton said helium “formed a brotherhood” with Liam Payne aft they filmed a documentary unneurotic successful 2019.

The ex-Special Forces worker described the erstwhile One Direction vocalist arsenic “a bully person of mine” aft the brace journeyed done Namibia for the programme Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking.

Middleton said during a unrecorded interrogation connected Australia’s The Morning Show that it was “the archetypal clip hearing” of Payne’s decease astatine the property of 31 aft falling from a edifice balcony successful Buenos Aires.

“After we filmed Straight Talking With Ant Middleton, helium was my archetypal personage impermanent and we formed a brotherhood,” Middleton told hosts Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur.

“He was similar a younger member to me. He would confide successful me, I’d spell astir and spot him.

“There were immoderate issues there, but thing that a young personage astatine his calibre wouldn’t endure from.

“I’m conscionable shocked astatine the moment, wow, don’t truly cognize what to say.”

Middleton said Payne “had a beauteous aura astir him”, describing him arsenic a “lovely guy”.

“He had affirmative vigor astir him,” the 44-year-old said.

“He was a visionary, helium ever thought and dreamed big, and that’s wherefore helium got to wherever helium was, and helium was loved.

“He was 1 of those set members that was the glue, I believe, was the glue for One Direction, and it’s a shame to spot specified a affirmative idiosyncratic dice truthful young.”

Middleton added that helium was distant filming but wanted to “find retired what’s happened to my bully friend”.