Former One Direction singer Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has shared unseen photos of their time together as she marks major milestone since his tragic death

Liam Payne’s girlfriend has shared unseen photos of them together(Image: Instagram/Kate Cassidy)

Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has revealed she is “thankful for another year” as she marked her first birthday since his tragic death. The One Direction star died aged 31 in October last year after falling from the third floor of a hotel balcony.

Kate, who turned 26 this week, shared how she is “reflecting on the beauty of 25”. To mark her big day, Kate decided to share some unseen photos of her time with Liam. The influencer posed with a candle in a cupcake while wearing a pink vest and matching bottoms as she kicked off the post.

She added a snap of her and Liam browsing a bookcase while standing on either side of a ladder as well as the pair sat at a wedding together. Kate and Liam enjoyed a ride on a swan pedalo during one of their date nights, and a trip to Paris.

Kate and Liam browsed books together(Image: Instagram/Kate Cassidy)

The couple also spent time together at Disney, played Liam’s favourite hobby bowling and tucked into a Burger King while in bed together. Alongside the sweet photos, Kate said: “Thankful for another year, and reflecting on the beauty of 25—it’s a chapter that will always be apart of me. here’s to 26…”

Kate began dating Liam in 2022, and was with him up until the point of his death. The One Direction star tragically died on the 16th October in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Kate recently gave an emotional interview with Lorraine Kelly, where she opened up about her mental health following Liam’s death and admitted that the adjustment was still a huge struggle.

The couple enjoyed a ride on a swan pedalo(Image: Instagram/Kate Cassidy)

“I’ve always enjoyed walking, I would consider myself an active person but now I’m going through this healing journey, sometimes it’s hard for me to get out of bed in the morning,” she admitted. “And it’s something that I don’t want to do.”

Kate explained that she was pushing herself to get up and about and into a healthy routine, explaining: “I have this responsibility and this obligation that I have no choice.

“I have to get out of bed and whether it’s a five minute walk or a twenty minute walk first thing in the morning, either way, it refreshes my mind instead of laying in bed all day and scrolling through social media or old photos. It gets me out of bed and really helps my mindset and my mental health.”

Kate has marked her first birthday without Liam(Image: Instagram/Kate Cassidy)

Liam’s death was particularly hard for Kate to process, with the former waitress admitting: “I’ve never lost anybody close to me before, so this is my first time dealing with anything like this and going through this grief and healing journey.”

Kate admitted to the Sun she does not remember their final phone conversation but they enjoyed horseback riding on their last day together. She took what would become her last photo of Liam as he sat on a horse just before she left the country to return to their home alone.

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In her interview, Kate admitted: “He looks so happy.” Following his death, Kate would fall asleep listening to his songs, but now she can no longer play any of them. She confessed: “Maybe one day, but not right now.”

They enjoyed a Burger King in bed(Image: Instagram/Kate Cassidy)

Paying tribute to her late boyfriend in a heartfelt social media post, Kate revealed they had been hoping to take their relationship to the next level. She said: “A few weeks ago we sat outside on a beautiful evening manifesting our lives together. I keep your note close, even though you told me not to look at it.