Former One Direction star Liam Payne has tragically died at 31 after falling from the third floor of an Argentinian hotel. Reports indicate that the father-of-one had been behaving “erratically” at the Casa Sur Palmero prior to the fatal incident, with hotel staff making two emergency calls for assistance.
Liam was just 16-years-old when he shot to fame with the globally adored boyband One Direction. During his time on the X-Factor, He met Danielle Peazer, a backup dancer on the ITV show and the pair dated for two years.
During their relationship, Peazer attracted intense scrutiny from One Direction’s fervent fanbase with Liam being forced to take to social media to defend his then girlfriend from online trolls, urging them to “grow up”, the Mirror reports.
Expressing gratitude to his supporters at the time, he wrote: “Thank you so much. She often reads me nice things people say to her and it makes me smile love you guys.”
Despite their loving relationship, the couple eventually parted ways, leaving Payne heartbroken at the time. He said: “I am really devastated by the breakup with Danielle. We had an amazing time together, but unfortunately sometimes things don’t go as planned.”
Danielle, a former English National Ballet School trainee, has now become a social media influencer sensation. She and Liam reunited in 2022, nine years after their breakup, and were seen leaving Shoreditch’s Nobu Hotel together.
The pair also made appearances at celebrity favourites Chiltern Firehouse and Annabel’s. However, the romance was short-lived, and Danielle soon found love with ex-Capital FM DJ Sonny Jay, the 2021 Dancing On Ice champion.
Last year, Danielle openly praised her new partner in an interview, possibly hinting at past issues with Liam. She said in an Instagram video: “After years of mistreatment, I learned that the reason I’d accepted so little from guys is because I hadn’t put in the work on myself to discover my boundaries, find my confidence and also know my worth.
“Without even realising that I’d evolved, I met Sonny, and I didn’t even need to express my morals, standards or desires in a relationship.
“He just gets it. He gets me, and I’ve never felt safety in a relationship like this. So much so, that I feel proud to share a private segment of my life with my online community, something I haven’t done for years, if ever in this way.”
In May, Sonny, 31, and Danielle, 36, surprised fans by announcing the birth of their daughter, having kept the pregnancy under wraps. Celebrities including Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards and Olly Murs, both X Factor alumni, were among the first to congratulate the couple.
Liam, father to seven-year-old son Bear with Girls Aloud star Cheryl, was most recently in a relationship with US model Kate Cassidy. The 25-year-old TikTok star left Argentina just days before the tragic death of her boyfriend.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter.