Liam Payne’s love life has been in the headlines as much as his music career ever since his One Direction days. The late singer, who tragically passed away at 31 on October 16, 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, shot to stardom at just 16 years old, but fame didn’t just come with screaming fans — it also came with relentless attention to his romantic relationships, many of which caused quite the stir.
His first high-profile romance was with dancer Danielle Peazer from 2010 to 2012. After that, he rekindled things with his childhood sweetheart, Sophia Smith, but they didn’t exactly have a fairy-tale ending, splitting for good in 2015. Then came his relationship with “X-Factor” judge Cheryl Cole. At the time, the headlines practically wrote themselves — Payne had met Cole when he was just 14, competing on the show, and their 10-year age gap raised everyone’s eyebrows. Still, the two got together in 2016, not long after Cole’s split from Jean-Bernard Fernández-Versini. By 2017, they were announcing the arrival of their son, Bear, but the following year, they officially parted ways, calling it a “tough decision.” Payne wrote in a statement, “We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”
Post-Cheryl, the “Strip That Down” singer was briefly linked to supermodel Naomi Campbell and influencer Aliana Mawla. But the real drama came with his last two high-profile romances — first with model Maya Henry and later with influencer Kate Cassidy.
Maya Henry issued a cease-and-desist against Liam
Liam Payne and Maya Henry’s relationship was a tabloid magnet from day one, largely thanks to their 8-year age gap — Payne was 26, and Henry was just 18 when they started dating. Their on-again, off-again romance spanned from 2018 to 2022, even resulting in a brief engagement. But the real score between them didn’t become public until after their final split.
In May 2024, Henry released her novel “Looking Forward,” which follows a girl who falls for a pop star, only for their relationship to turn into something much darker. The book dives into heavy themes like abuse, violence, and even abortion, with Henry telling People that she drew inspiration from her own life — particularly her turbulent relationship with Payne. “What I went through in real life is very similar to what Mallory went through in the book. I definitely did have some complications, and I did have to go to the hospital alone,” she told the outlet. Payne, for his part, admitted on “The Diary of a CEO” podcast that he wasn’t exactly a saint during their time together, saying, “I’m more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people.”
But the breakup didn’t exactly end with a clean slate. Henry took to TikTok to reveal that Payne was still bombarding her, her friends, and even her family despite their split. “He will blow up my phone … it’s always from different phone numbers, too,” she said in a TikTok video. According to the Daily Mail, Henry’s legal team had to issue a cease-and-desist just days before Payne’s tragic death. Insiders also told People that these mounting legal troubles had taken a serious toll on Payne’s mental health, with one source saying that he “was extremely overwhelmed.”
His relationship with Kate Cassidy was also ridiculed
Liam Payne’s final relationship was with influencer Kate Cassidy, who he started dating in 2022. While their six-year age gap wasn’t as eyebrow-raising as his previous relationships, it still raised some questions—especially after Cassidy shared a TikTok revealing she’d been “manifesting” Payne since she was a child. In the video, she held up a popsicle stick figure of a man she’d named “Liam” and panned to show Payne sitting in her childhood bedroom. “Careful what you wish for,” she joked.
Despite their chemistry, fans weren’t always kind. Some speculated that Cassidy was only with Payne for his money. Payne shut down those rumors on Instagram, writing, “Gotta say you could tell me anything and I couldn’t be turned. I’ve never felt a love like I do for Katelyn. We make each other better people,” according to the Daily Mail. There was also that one time when a TikTok clip showed Payne commenting on Cassidy’s outfit, saying she was “nice and covered up for once.” Fans weren’t thrilled, accusing him of being judgmental and misogynistic, but Cassidy quickly jumped to his defense, claiming she had actually prompted him to make the comment.
Cassidy was reportedly one of the last people to spend time with Payne before his tragic passing. The couple was seen vacationing together in Argentina just days before. Cassidy later explained in a TikTok video that she had flown back to Florida earlier than Payne because she was feeling homesick. “Honestly, love South America but I hate staying in one place for too long,” she said. “I was just like, ‘I need to go home.'”
