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Who is Kate Cassidy, Liam Payne’s girlfriend? Inside One Direction’s last relationship before the singer’s death

Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy had been on holiday with the singer in the days before his death.

The One Direction singer was found dead at around 5pm local time on Wednesday (October 16) at the age of 31 in the courtyard of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after suffering “extremely serious injuries” from a fall from a balcony on the third floor. .

Payne was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities will now conduct an autopsy and investigate the cause of death.

Follow live updates and tributes following Liam Payne’s death here.

In the days before his death, his girlfriend of two years, 25-year-old Cassidy, had joined him on his trip to Argentina, and the pair had documented their journey together online.

Cassidy, a social media influencer, had been traveling with Payne for two weeks before she decided to return to her home in Florida.

In a vlog posted to her TikTok account two days before Payne’s death, Cassidy said she was “so ready to leave Buenos Aires” after their five-day trip turned into a two-week vacation.

Liam Payne and his partner Kate Cassidy in Dubai in January 2023

Liam Payne and his partner Kate Cassidy in Dubai in January 2023 (Getty Images for Atlantis The Ro)

“I really loved South America, but I hate staying in one place for too long,” she said. “We were supposed to stay for five days, but it turned into two weeks and I thought: I have to go home.”

Noting that the seat number she was given on her flight home was ‘1D’ – the shortened name for One Direction – Cassidy told the camera: ‘I swear this happens every time I fly.’

When she returned to Miami, she said she was “relieved” and “so happy” to be home, before recording herself ordering a bagel and going to bed.

Who is Kate Cassidy?

Cassidy and Payne in London in February 2023

Cassidy and Payne in London in February 2023 (PA)

Cassidy, born in New Jersey, works as an influencer with more than 250,000 followers on Instagram and more than 300,000 on TikTok.

When their relationship began, Cassidy claimed in a TikTok video that she “manifested” her relationship with the One Direction star when she was just 10 years old.

“I’m the best manifester, and I’m going to show you why,” Cassidy began the clip, which was posted in November 2023.

She then revealed that she had drawn a picture of Payne on a “popsicle stick” when she was 10 years old.

“And somehow ten years later,” Cassidy said, before opening her childhood bedroom door to reveal the real Payne lounging on her bed.

The couple smiles together at the end of the clip as she says: “Be careful what you wish for!”

“The power of manifesting, I guess,” she captioned the post, using One Direction’s 2014 hit “Night Changes” as background music.

The beginning of the relationship between Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy

She started dating the One Direction singer in 2022, and the pair were first pictured together in Halloween costumes, with the influencer dressing up as Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, while Payne wore a white tank top to transform into Anderson’s ex-husband Tommy Lee.

Two months later, in December 2022, they made their red carpet debut together at the British Fashion Awards in London.

Cassidy had also been Payne’s guest at the UK premiere of One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson’s documentary All those voices.

The couple had documented their various travels together, having visited Dubai, New York, Italy, Spain and France several times.

Their holiday in Argentina

Payne and his partner Cassidy in a post shared on Snapchat

Payne and his partner Cassidy in a post shared on Snapchat (Liam Payne/Snapchat)

In the days before Payne’s death, the couple had shared happy moments from their stay in Argentina.

In a video shared to his Snapchat profile, Payne is seen sitting at his hotel breakfast table and joking with Cassidy about leaving her hat on the table. “Beautiful day in Argentina,” the video captioned.

“It’s a beautiful day here in Argentina,” he said in the video. ‘This is the breakfast table. Just enjoy coffee and breakfast, even if it is 1 p.m..”

Cassidy had shared photos of the pair riding together, captioning it: “I’m very grateful for the simple things in life.”

In another post, Payne posed with Cassidy for a selfie with the caption “Quality time” and teased a Halloween costume idea with a photo of himself sitting on a chair. The caption read: “Halloween costume idea: Forest Gump.”

Payne’s last Snapchat Story was a photo of himself and Cassidy in swimsuits, a photo Cassidy posted to Instagram in August 2023 to celebrate his 30th birthday.

While officials are still investigating the exact circumstances surrounding Payne’s death, Buenos Aires police said in a statement that he died after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony.

Earlier this month, Payne reportedly shared a Snapchat saying he traveled to Argentina in part to see his former bandmate Niall Horan play a show there.

“It’s been a while since me and Niall have spoken,” he said. ‘We have a lot to discuss and I would like to agree on a few things with the boy. No bad vibes or anything like that, but we just need to talk,” he said.