Naomi Campbell has broken her silence on the tragic death of her former boyfriend, Liam Payne, who she briefly dated four years ago.
The 54-year-old supermodel is understood to have been romantically tied to the late One Direction star for around four months in early 2019 when she was 48 and he was 25.
Naomi has now publicly acknowledged Liam’s passing online after she left a comment under Nicole Scherzinger’s Instagram tribute for the 31-year-old singer this morning.
The model left dove emojis, a broken heart symbol and prayer hands on the former X-Factor judges emotional post, where she shared her final snaps with Liam that had been taken just months before his heartbreaking death.
At the time of Liam and Naomi’s ‘amicable’ split, a source told The Mirror: “Liam and Naomi had a lot of fun together, they got on well and had a laugh. But it just wasn’t meant to be. They are going to stay friends – there are no hard feelings with either of them.”
Rumours of their romance first began when the two celebrated New Year together in Ghana. The former couple are said to have also spent a ‘mind-blowing’ time together in London and New York, both commenting on each others Instagram posts with flirty exchanges.
Liam, who passed away in Buenos Aires on October 16 following a fatal fall, previously described Naomi as ‘perfection in a person’, while she branded him ‘a beautiful soul’.
Naomi’s comment comes after it was revealed that the former Pussycat Dolls member was texting Liam on the day he died, although it’s not clear what he said.
Nicole, 46, played a leading role in forming One Direction on the X-Factor in 2010 when she stepped in to be a judge in the absence of Cheryl Cole.
The singer said she will ‘forever cherish and treasure’ the time they had together as she shared a snap of her and Kelly Rowland beaming alongside the late singer.
Liam, who shares seven-year-old son Bear with ex-girlfriend Cheryl, tragically passed away last week after falling 45ft from a third floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, leaving fans of the band from all around the world distraught.
He is believed to have recently wrapped filming for a Netflix show called Building The Band alongside Scherzinger and Rowland just two months before his tragic death in Argentina.
Nicole, who is currently starring on New York’s Broadway show Sunset Blvd, has been praised for her strength after she appeared on stage for the press night of the musical just hours after she heard Liam had fatally fallen from his hotel balcony.
Theatre guru Andrew Lloyd Webber told Billboard magazine: “One thing about Nicole is that once she’s committed to something, she is the most incredible company member and leader of any performer I know.
“And do you know what? I suppose something that hasn’t been said, and I suppose I could say, is that of course she mentored Liam, from One Direction.
“On the Wednesday when he died, she was still texting him that day, and [that evening] the reviewers came in [to Sunset], she’d just heard that he died. And the fact that she even did the show at all is extraordinary. I mean she is an amazing, amazing woman. Andrew Lloyd Webber.”
Netflix are still to confirm the future of Liam’s recent show after reports that filming wrapped with three live shows shot in front of an audience at Aviva Studios in Manchester in late August.
The show finds talented singers from across the nation and places them in bands based on musical compatibility, connection, and merit.
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