Liam Payne’s girlfriend to give first TV interview since singer’s death
By Naomi Clarke, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Liam Payne’s girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, is to speak about the singer with presenter Lorraine Kelly, her first TV interview since his death.
The One Direction star died in October last year at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
During Wednesday’s Lorraine programme on ITV, Cassidy will discuss Payne’s “struggles” and the “poignant” reason for her getting involved with the show’s new mental health campaign, the broadcaster said.
Cassidy had been staying with Payne in Argentina but flew back to America before his fatal accident.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper last month she revealed his death “still doesn’t feel fully real”.
She added: “Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end. Obviously if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina.”
Payne was remembered at the Brit Awards on Saturday night with a video montage which showed him with his family, as well as a clip from his time on The X Factor and then with One Direction, who won seven Brit Awards before they split up.
On Sunday, his family said they will “forever remember the joy that his music brought to the world” and described his death as an “unspeakable tragedy”.
Last month it was reported that a court in Argentina had dropped charges of criminal negligence against three out of the five people who had been charged in connection with his death.
Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks, broadcaster Tyler West, Geordie Shore’s Vicky Pattison, Irish model and presenter Vogue Williams, and retired Paralympics swimmer Ellie Simmonds are among the famous faces who will share their personal stories as part of Lorraine’s month-long initiative March4March.
As part of the campaign, viewers and celebrity supporters will be asked to “pledge” a number of steps across the month of March.
The show is aiming to reach at least three million steps in a bid to metaphorically walk the entire length of the UK, ITV has said.
Kelly said: “I’m so pleased we are launching a campaign dedicated to destigmatising the conversation around mental health, and I’m so grateful to the amazing names who’ve already agreed to bravely share their stories and pledge their support for such a worthy cause.
“I’m looking forward to getting out walking and talking, and I look forward to taking our amazing viewers along with me.”
– The March4March campaign launches with Kate Cassidy on Wednesday March 5th on Lorraine, which airs on weekdays from 9am on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.