One Direction star, Liam Payne, was dating American model, Kate Cassidy, for two years before his tragic death in October in Argentina when he fell from his hotel balcony

Liam Payne’s ‘associates’ have accused his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, of ‘cashing in’ on the star, five months after his tragic death,

Liam Payne’s ‘associates’ have accused his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, of “cashing in” on the star, five months after his tragic death. The One Direction heartthrob had been dating the American model, 26, for two years before he died in October when he fell from the third floor of his hotel suite, aged 31.

Kate has paid tribute to Liam in a number of Instagram posts after attending his funeral in November to pay her respects to her boyfriend, who she was due to marry. However, there are suggestions that some of the singer’s acquaintances are not happy with the model’s behaviour since the tragic loss, with some accusing Kate of “cashing in” on the star’s death.

Liam Payne, was dating American model, Kate Cassidy, for two years before his tragic death in October(Image: Getty Images)

Following reports that Kate had been politely asked to leave the London home she shared with Liam by his parents after pictures of the model with a number of suitcases outside the property were published after he died, one associate of the singer’s told Daily Mail: “It feels like she is cashing in, it’s very sad to watch. She was a fan and now she seems to raise his name whenever it suits her.”

Kate’s Instagram page is full of photos of Liam, including shared unseen snaps of the star, which she posted while celebrating her birthday last week. Alongside photos of the pair, she wrote: “Thankful for another year, and reflecting on the beauty of 25 – it’s a chapter that will always be a part of me. Here’s to 26.”

One photo was of the couple at a wedding, another was of them at Disneyland. The week before, Kate had mentioned Liam again as she filmed a TikTok video while looking through her stuff around the time of the star’s death.

Zooming in on a yellow frock and a pair of white stilettos – which she had worn to a wedding with Liam in August, Kate became emotional as she recalled the nuptials, and shared a memory of ‘dancing the night away’ with Liam.

It’s not the first time Kate, who says she “manifested” her childhood crush after meeting Liam at a restaurant in the US where she was working as a waitress, has taken to sharing her private moments with the Wolverhampton-born star.

Just three days after his death, she posted a treasured note from the dad-of-one, talking about their marriage, which read: “Me and Kate to marry within a year/engaged & together forever 444. Liam.”

She added: “I know we’ll be together forever, but not in the way we had planned. You’ll always be with me. I’ve gained a guardian angel.”

However, claiming that Kate is ‘helping her brand’ by continuing to mention Liam, his former associate said: “Nobody has a problem with Kate being upset at Liam dying, but every time she shares a picture or video of him it helps her brand, gets her new followers. All those things help make someone’s profile bigger and bigger.

“You have to wonder whether she is doing it for herself because it certainly isn’t for Liam or his family.

“It’s all starting to feel rather unsavoury.”

The Mirror has contacted Kate for comment on this story.