Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy's whirlwind love story from schoolgirl crush to 'drugs ultimatum'

Liam Payne was Kate Cassidy's 'childhood crush' earlier helium became her partner.

The One Direction singer, 31, fatally fell from a third-floor balcony astatine the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel successful Buenos Aires, Argentina, connected October 16, 2024. His assemblage was tragically recovered connected an interior patio of the edifice aft suffering "severe injuries which were incompatible with life". Liam spent his past fewer weeks enjoying a sun-soaked vacation with his beloved woman Kate.

But 48 hours earlier the X Factor star's death, influencer Kate, 25, decided to instrumentality to Miami, Florida, to instrumentality attraction of their dog, Nala, devastatingly unaware of what would hap next. The couple, of much than 2 years, had jetted disconnected connected a abrogation and made an quality astatine the performance of Liam's ex-bandmate, Niall Horan.

In a caller interrogation with The Sun, Kate explained that Liam was her "childhood crush" and she had posters of 1D connected her chamber walls from the property of 10. She said: "Growing up, I had posters connected walls. I deliberation I had a One Direction 1 but I don't cognize if I had his solo poster. But I did person him astatine immoderate constituent connected my wall... Yeah, I astir apt did the 1D creation routines - Liam was a beauteous bully dancer."

She described the precocious instrumentalist arsenic 1 of the top radical she'd ever met and didn't attraction astir his fame oregon staggering fortune. The brace met astatine a barroom successful South Carolina successful September 2022, with Liam asking for her fig and past asking her out. For Liam, the attraction was immediate, and helium asked for her fig consecutive away.

However, their narration astir didn't instrumentality off. Kate gave Liam her telephone fig and forgot to adhd +1 to her country code, owed to having an American number. Liam delayed his formation backmost to London pursuing their archetypal date, a crippled of bowling – with them checking into a edifice for 48 hours.

"We were lying successful furniture watching a movie, and helium said, 'Would you similar to beryllium my woman and would you privation to determination successful with me? Like, I truly emotion you,'" she revealed. The brace had plans to wed and invited children, with Kate admitting they "definitely," wanted that and had spoken astir their aboriginal unneurotic arsenic their narration continued to intensify.

She said her narration with Liam was akin to a 'fairytale' and she gave him a accidental of "normality" successful his hectic life. The brace were archetypal pictured unneurotic wearing Halloween costumes, with Kate dressed arsenic Pamela Anderson, portion Liam, sporting a achromatic vessel top, went arsenic her ex-husband Tommy Lee. Two months later, they made their authoritative debut astatine the British Fashion Awards successful London.

Kate claimed to person 'manifested' her romance with the star. In a clip shared to her TikTok successful November 2023, she began: "I americium the champion manifester, and I'm going to amusement you why." She revealed she had drawn an representation of the popular vocalist onto a "popsicle stick", adding: "And someway 10 years later." She filmed herself opening the doorway to her puerility bedroom, wherever Liam was connected her bed.

Following Liam's death, Kate paid tribute to her precocious fellow successful a heartfelt societal media post. She revealed they had been hoping to instrumentality their narration to the adjacent level. She said: "A fewer weeks agone we sat extracurricular connected a beauteous evening manifesting our lives together. I support your enactment close, adjacent though you told maine not to look astatine it.

"It said: 'Me and Kate to wed wrong a year/engaged and unneurotic everlastingly 444. Liam, I cognize we'll beryllium unneurotic forever, but not successful the mode that we planned. You'll ever beryllium with me. I've gained a guardian angel. I volition emotion you for the remainder of my beingness and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with maine wherever I go. Forever yours, Katelyn, 444."

Kate explained "444" is the fig of angels. On her Instagram she said: "More often, you volition spot the fig 444 erstwhile you are feeling down. In elemental sense, the fig 444 reminds you that your angels are ever determination to enactment you. When you spot this fig you volition beryllium reassured that you are protected and loved by the angels."

Before Liam's death, Kate shared wherefore she decided to alert location backmost to Florida. She said connected a TikTok: "I was truthful acceptable to leave. Love South America, but I hatred staying successful 1 spot for excessively agelong and we were expected to beryllium determination for 5 days, turned into 2 weeks and I was conscionable like, 'I request to spell home'." She has since said she had a "responsibility" to attraction for their dog, Nala.

Kate told The Sun that she took what would go her past photograph of Liam erstwhile they were horseback riding connected their last time together, and said helium "looks truthful happy". Kate shared: "Liam was successful specified a bully headspace erstwhile I near Argentina. We were successful specified a large place, conscionable afloat of love; helium was truthful blessed and positive.

"And I conscionable can't adjacent judge the mode things genuinely ended. It's genuinely insane to maine however things tin conscionable beryllium taken distant from you truthful rapidly successful life, you ne'er genuinely cognize what time volition bring, you ne'er know." She besides revealed her last substance to him erstwhile she returned to their location successful Miami: "I can't hold for you to get location and spot the house."

Kate had their Florida mansion decorated for Halloween, but helium sadly ne'er saw it. She discovered the quality of Liam's shattering decease erstwhile 1 of his friends called her astatine home. Initially, she thought it was a cruel hoax, but had a "bad feeling" that it would beryllium true. Her parent got the archetypal formation to Florida to beryllium with her, and Kate tried to telephone Liam's telephone to talk to him.

Despite reportedly being cleanable from drugs successful his last months, Liam appeared to relapse, with the initial toxicology report uncovering traces of "alcohol, cocaine and medicine antidepressants" successful his system. But successful the days earlier his untimely passing, Kate said determination were nary signs of the acheronian that laic ahead.

After Liam's death, it was claimed Kate had allegedly fixed him an ultimatum - halt taking drugs oregon suffer her. Speaking to the New York Post, a source, who was reportedly a friend, said: "His cause usage was causing a batch of drama. So she gave him an ultimatum: her oregon the drugs. She thought she was doing pugnacious love."

Liam was unfastened astir his struggles with drugs and intoxicant successful his last years. He admitted going done a chaotic "pills and booze phase" erstwhile helium sky-rocketed to fame arsenic a teenager, and said helium deed "rock bottom" astatine the highest of his success. In 2023, helium posted a YouTube video confirming helium was astir six months sober aft astir 100 days successful rehab.