Liam Payne’s girlfriend reveals why she left Argentina in emotional first interview since his death
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In her first interview since his passing, Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy revealed the reason she left Argentina days before the former One Direction star’s death.
Payne died aged 31 after falling from a third-story balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024.
Two days before the singer’s death, Cassidy, 25, traveled back to her home in Miami, Florida, prompting speculation that the pair, who began dating in October 2022, had broken up.
Speaking to The Sun, Cassidy debunked the rumors, claiming she went home to look after their rescue dog, Nala.
“Originally, we thought we were only going to be in Argentina for about a week, give or take, a little less, a little more. After two weeks, I had a responsibility, we had a responsibility, we had our dog,” she said.
“Obviously, I never would’ve thought this event would’ve occurred. I never would’ve thought this would’ve happened.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Cassidy remembered the moment she received the devastating news that Payne had died.
“I was in our home with our dog, scrolling TikTok and one of Liam’s friends called me,” she said. “I didn’t believe it at first. I thought it was just a rumor. 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?
“And I feel like I just completely blacked out,” she added. “When I officially found the news out to be true, I felt numb. I tried to call him. I called pretty much everybody.
“I remember pacing around the house — poor Nala (their dog) thought I was trying to play, she kept jumping up at me. I didn’t sleep at all that night,” she said.
On January 9, Payne’s medical cause of death was confirmed by Dr Roberto Victor Cohen as “polytrauma,” meaning he’d sustained multiple traumatic injuries. A preliminary toxicology report also found “multiple substances” in his system, including “pink cocaine,” when he died. According to the National Institutes of Health, pink cocaine is a recreational drug that typically combines methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA.
However, a statement released by the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office in Argentina on Payne’s official toxicology report only mentioned traces of cocaine, prescription antidepressants, and alcohol being found in his system.
Five people have been charged in connection to the music icon’s death, CasaSur Palermo hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi, and Payne’s friend Roger Nores have all been charged with manslaughter. CasaSur Palermo hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz have both been charged for supplying cocaine.
Three months after Payne’s November funeral in Buckinghamshire, England, the “Teardrops” singer was honored at the 2025 Grammys in the show’s annual In Memoriam video tribute.
Footage of Payne with his other One Direction bandmates — Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson — waving to a mob of fans in the street, was shown as Coldplay’s Chris Martin performed “All My Love.”
