The late Liam Payne, who died on Oct 16 at the age of 31, was part of the most popular boy band of the 2000s, One Direction, and that came with a lot of attention from other celebrities, big brands, and, of course, women. Over the years, Payne navigated his personal and professional life on the brink of controversy.
Payne rose to fame as a member of One Direction in 2010, after auditioning for The X-Factor U.K. alone. He, alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, made up the ultra-successful boy band. which split in 2015.
Each member got their attention and love from fans, and Payne wasn’t any different at the time. So far, his private life has included a string of unsuccessful relationships, mostly because of his fame and career. Between all his high-profile relationships, Payne was also rumored to have dated One Direction fans, but nothing became serious.
Danielle Peazer (2010-2012)
Payne and professional dancer Danielle Peazer dated between 2010 and late 2012. They met on The X-Factor, where he was competing and she was a dancer. After an on-and-off again relationship, they split ways in 2012. However, they were photographed hanging out again in 2022, but nothing came out of it.
Sophia Smith (May 2013-Oct. 2015)
Shortly after his relationship with Peazer, Payne started dating someone he hadn’t met thanks to his career — his childhood friend, Sophia Smith. Their relationship was good while it lasted but the long distance killed it. The same year, Payne revealed he was “absolutely devastated” following the split, but that it was better this way.
Cheryl Cole (Feb. 2016-July 2018)
Liam Payne reconnected with The X-Factor judge and singer Cheryl Cole in 2016 and started dating. In March 2017, they welcomed a baby, son Bear, but their relationship didn’t last long In July 2018 they announced in a statement that they would be separating.
“It’s been a tough decision for us to make. We still have so much love for each other as a family,” Payne wrote in a statement during their split. “Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”
Naomi Campbell (Jan. 2019)
Liam Payne was rumored to date supermodel Naomi Campbell in early 2019. The two exchanged flirty messages online for a while and the Daily Mail reported that the pair were out in London for dinner in Jan. 2019. Rumors were that they dated for a couple of months, but it didn’t last long.
Maya Henry (2018-2022)
There was a time when Directioners shipped actress Maya Henry and Liam Payne. Although their relationship started when she was only 19 and he was 26, the two seemed to get along and got engaged in Aug. 2020. They broke up in 2021 but rekindled their relationship the same year and split up for good in 2022.
This wasn’t the end of it, as Maya Henry published a book inspired by her life with the One Direction star in May 2024. Details about their toxic relationship included forcing her to have an abortion and multiple instances of domestic abuse or verbal insults. Following the breakup, she revealed that he continued to try to contact her from different numbers.
Aliana Mawla (May 2022)
Shortly after his split from Henry, Payne was linked to model Aliana Mawla. Although Henry called Mawla “the other woman” in their split, the model denied any relationship with Payne while he was engaged to Henry. The two first met on the set of Payne’s music video “Familiar” and started dating briefly in 2022.
Kate Cassidy (2022-Present)
After his relationship with Mawla fizzled out, Payne started dating model Kate Cassidy in October 2022. In May 2023, they parted ways after several months of dating. However, they rekindled their romance in Feb. 2024. No word as of writing as to whether they were still together at the time of his death.
