Kate Cassidy recalls final moment with late partner Liam Payne: 'It was just so chilling'
Kate Cassidy opened up for the first time about her emotional final moment with her late boyfriend, Liam Payne.
In an interview with Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, the influencer reflected on the last memory she holds of the former One Direction star and recalled how she reacted when she received the news that the love of her life died.
"His friend called me back, and said that Liam is not here anymore. He's dead and fell to his death, and I still couldn't believe that," she said.
"At that point, I just lost it. I am just even talking about it, it brings the emotion backwards and I just feel it even not true. Sometimes, I can talk about it without crying and other times I can't really even speak because its just so... the way I found out is something that I thought would never happen."
According to Cassidy, it gave her "this mixture of pain and peace." She explained, "It brings me pain because I can't fully process that the day I left Argentina was the last day I was able to touch Liam, to hug Liam, to speak to him, to be in the same room as him."
Cassidy shared that it also brought her "peace" as "it was such a beautiful last moment" they had together.
Before they parted ways, she said they woke up and had an "amazing" breakfast, and then went horseback riding before sharing a long and emotional goodbye.
"I don't know what to describe it but we had this clinginess to us. [The] majority of the time, it was just heartfelt, long goodbye at least for 5 minutes, just hugging, [saying] I miss you, I love you," she added.
She continued, "We were sitting on the couch, I just kept on and on and on about how much I love him and how much he means to me. I was saying to Liam how much I love him. And he laughed, and he interrupted me, and he just said, 'Kate, you're gonna miss your flight. Your car is in the driveway. You're acting like this is the last time you're ever going to see me again,'" she recalled.
"I just laughed back and said, 'I know, I'm being silly. I need to get in the car. I can't miss my flight.'"
Cassidy also noted that it felt really emotional and strange to realize that it was the last time she would see him.
"It was just so chilling, but in a way, I think that the way we said goodbye to each other, I'm so blessed, and this is where I get the peace from it, that was a heartfelt, beautiful [moment]."
"I wouldn't have wanted it to be any different... I'm so glad that we had that last beautiful moment together," she concluded.
Payne died on Oct. 16 after falling from the balcony of his third-floor room at the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital. He was 31.
In a press release, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 16 in Argentina announced that the singer died due to polytrauma or several traumatic injuries and internal and external hemorrhage.
Authorities said Payne sustained the injuries after falling from his hotel window in Buenos Aires. "The forensic experts reported that the 25 injuries described in the autopsy are aligned with those caused by a fall from a height," they said. "They also pointed out that the head injuries were sufficient to cause death, while the internal and external hemorrhages in the skull, thorax, abdomen and limbs contributed to the mechanism of death."
According to the statement, the circumstances of the case are being looked into as a "questionable death," but preliminary information showed that Payne "was alone when the fall occurred, and was going through some type of outbreak from substance abuse." No evidence of foul play was found, they noted, adding that the way Payne landed on the ground "did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself."
Payne was part of One Direction along with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan. It was formed in 2010 and became known for various hits such as What Makes You Beautiful, Little Things, and Best Song Ever, among others.
