Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has opened up about her romance with the late One Direction star.

Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy pose in the Evian VIP Suite at Wimbledon in 2023 (Image: Getty Images)

Kate Cassidy opened up about her love story with Liam Payne, revealing how she fell for the former One Direction star when she was just a child. At a mere 10 years old, Kate nurtured dreams of ending up with the Wolverhampton-born heartthrob, despite his global fame and legions of fans as part of the top-charting boyband.

Now 25, Kate always had her heart set on marrying Liam, never really believing how her life would unfold. Yet tragically, at the age of 31, Liam met a fatal end after falling from his hotel balcony in Argentina, succumbing to multiple traumas that led to “internal and external haemorrhage”.

The awful incident occurred while he was vacationing in Buenos Aires and Kate had left for Florida only two days prior.

Although many idolise celebrities from afar, a precious few actually get a chance to date their idols. This is what made Kate’s reality so surreal when she eventually met Liam by chance one night.

Liam Payne and girlfriend Kate Cassidy attending the premiere of All Of Those Voices at Cineworld in London (Image: PA)

Recounting her story, she disclosed that he was her “childhood crush”, someone whose posters adorned her bedroom walls since the age of 10, she told The Sun.

“Growing up, I had posters on walls. I think I had a One Direction one but I don’t know if I had his solo poster. But I did have him at some point on my wall,” Kate revealed. She then told the publication: “Yeah, I probably did the One Direction dance routines – Liam was a pretty good dancer.”

She described the late musician as one of the greatest people she’d ever met, and his fame and vast wealth made no difference to her. The pair met at a bar in South Carolina in September 2022, with Liam asking for her number then asking her out.”

Kate also dismissed cruel accusations that she abandoned Liam before his death, revealing that she had only returned to their Florida home to look after their rescue dog, Nala.