Kate Cassidy is opening up about life after losing her boyfriend, Liam Payne, nearly a year ago.
In a vulnerable moment, the 26-year-old reflected on her journey through heartbreak and healing during an interview with Page Six on Saturday, October 11, describing the months after the One Direction star’s passing as the hardest of her life.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)“I was always just kind of doing nothing and just dealing with that grief and pain,” Cassidy shared while attending a benefit performance of This Is Crazy! Supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “I was just not wanting to really live my life.”
Turning Grief Into Growth
Cassidy revealed that it took her about two months to start finding her way forward. “I finally realized, ‘OK, I need to live my life, I need to get up, get out of bed,’” she recalled. She began rebuilding her days with small, healthy habits that helped her regain structure.
“I like to always be up early, have a workout class planned, go for a nice walk, eat cleaner,” she said. “For me, being active always keeps my mind so much cleaner and healthier.”
Now, as the one-year anniversary of Payne’s passing approaches on October 16, Cassidy said she stays busy and grounded through movement and routine. “I think that really helps my headspace,” she added.
Remembering Liam Payne
Payne, the former One Direction member, tragically passed away at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last October. Authorities later confirmed that the singer had drugs in his system at the time of the fall.
Cassidy had traveled to Argentina with Payne but returned home just two days before the incident. She learned of his passing through a phone call from one of the singer’s close friends.
In an earlier appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, she recalled initially thinking the reports of a fall were exaggerated. “I thought maybe he had been hurt, but not that he was gone,” she shared. “When no one picked up my calls, I started to panic. Then I got the confirmation, and it broke me.”
A Love Remembered
Cassidy and Payne’s love story began in October 2022, when they were first spotted together at a Halloween party in London. Their connection quickly grew, and just a few months later, they made their red carpet debut at the British Fashion Awards, confirming their relationship to the world.
While rumors of a split surfaced in mid-2023, the couple reunited later that year and were seen together into early 2024, proving their bond had only deepened with time.
Now, nearly a year after Payne’s passing, Cassidy keeps his memory close by living with intention and gratitude. “He’d want me to live,” she once said softly. “So that’s what I’m trying to do.”
