Four months ago, the world mourned the loss of Liam Payne, who tragically died while in Argentina on his own after his girlfriend Kate Cassidy returned home early.
The former One Direction member died on October 16 at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel in Buenos Aires, having been in the South American capital to support his old bandmate Niall Horan, who played on October 2.
Payne had been staying with Cassidy, before she returned to the US two days before his death, while police confirmed in the aftermath of the incident that they were called to the hotel over reports of an 'aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol'.
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Now, his 25-year-old partner has revealed the reason she left him in Argentina during an emotional interview.
“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," Cassidy told The Sun.
"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 would 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.”
She went on to explain how the ordeal still 'doesn't feel full real' and how she thinks about Payne 'every second of every day'.
Cassidy described the singer as her soulmate, saying how 'humble' and 'charming' he was and how, despite all the fame, he was one of the most normal people 'you could ever hope to come across'.
Speaking about the moment she discovered her doting boyfriend had passed away, she told the UK-based outlet: "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?’"
She continued: "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."
Cassidy also revealed her final text message she sent to her partner - having spent time and effort arranging Halloween decorations in their home. It read: "I can’t wait for you to get home and see the house."
While describing the last photo she has of him on her phone, which is of Payne horse riding with Cassidy the morning before she left, she spoke of how 'happy' he looked.
Topics: Celebrity, Liam Payne, Music, UK News, Sex and Relationships
Joe Yates