Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy opens up about their ...

The girlfriend of the late artist Liam Payne is sharing more about their time together in the days leading up to his death at age 31.

In an interview with The Sun published Wednesday, Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25, shared about their relationship and vacation in Buenos Aires, where Payne died after falling from a balcony.

She called the singer and former One Direction member “genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life.”

The pair met in 2022 in a bar in Charleston, South Carolina. Cassidy revealed that Payne was her “childhood crush” whose poster she had on her wall growing up.

“I have loved him since I was ten,” she said. “I think we were meant to meet.”

Cassidy described their two-year relationship as genuine and loving. She said Payne was “in a good head space” prior to his death, which contributed to her shock.

She also expressed remorse over having to leave Payne in Buenos Aires to return to Florida. Cassidy was not present when he died.

They had only expected to stay in Argentina for a week, she said, but they ended up being there for two.

“I had a responsibility, we had a responsibility,” she told the publication. “We had our dog [the couple shared a rescue dog named Nola] and obviously I never, ever thought this event would occur.”

It was not rare, she said, for the couple to travel separately.

“I just never thought this would have happened, that it would turn out the way it did,” Cassidy said. “It still doesn’t feel fully real for me that he’s not here.”

She “blacked out” when one of his friends called her at their home in Florida to inform her he had died.

“I thought it was just a rumor or some made up thing that somebody made up just to get views online,” she said. “Instantly, I had a bad feeling in my gut.”

Cassidy said she tried calling Payne and others before she was able to confirm his passing.

She said she still calls his phone to hear his voice recording and has since left their Florida home and moved to New Jersey.

“I’m trying to be the best I can be, but I feel like my life has changed so much,” she said. “I think about Liam every second of every day.”

In October 2024, Cassidy said in a social media post that she and Payne had planned to marry.