Following the tragic passing of One Direction singer of Liam Payne, his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and ex Cheryl Cole have now released statements.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, Cassidy began by thanking everyone “for all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way.”
“I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real,” she continued. “I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.”
She ended her tribute by addressing her boyfriend of two years directly, writing, “Liam, my angel. You are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”
Liam Payne was heavily documenting his trip to Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy on Snapchat. (Credit: Snapchat / Liam Payne)
Kate Cassidy had been with Liam in Argentina but returned home just hours before he died.
Before Kate headed home, Liam shared his final post to social media, a video in which he and Kate enjoyed brekky and discussed their trip:
Meanwhile Cheryl Cole, the Girls Aloud singer and mother of Liam’s only child Bear, left the following statement.
“As I try to navigate this earth-shattering event and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” Cherry wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Payne holding Bear.
“Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7-year-old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
Cheryl’s statement regarding Liam Payne. (Credit: Cheryl Cole / Instagram)
She went on to slam the “abhorrent reports and media exploitation,” voicing her concern for their son Bear seeing the news reports and photos that have been shared.
“What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future. I am begging you to consider what use some of these reports are serving, other than to cause further harm to everyone left behind picking up the pieces. Before you leave comments or make videos, ask yourself if you would like your own child or family to read them.”
She closed her statement by asking the public to please give “Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last.”
Liam Payne and Cheryl Cole dated from 2016 to 2018 after meeting in 2008 when Liam was a contestant on The X Factor UK, which launched his career along with One Direction.
Speaking of, his One Direction band mates Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson also paid tribute to their dear departed friend with gut-wrenching posts.
You can read them HERE.
