Did Naomi Campbell date Liam Payne?

When the late Liam Payne passed away after plummeting from a hotel balcony in Argentina on Oct. 16, he left behind a beautiful girlfriend in actress and influencer Kate Cassidy. However, before his relationship with Cassidy, the former One Direction singer had dated a string of beauties, including several high-profile stars.

From 2010 until late 2012, he dated then-X Factor dancer Danielle Peazer. He was in a relationship with his childhood friend, Sophia Smith, from 2013 until 2015. In 2016, he began a relationship with Girls Aloud member Cheryl, with whom he had a son, Bear. In 2019, he started dating model Maya Henry. They got engaged in 2020 but separated in 2021. He got with Cassidy in 2022.

However, Payne was also linked to supermodel Naomi Campbell — a woman some 23 years his senior. But did the “Strip That Down” singer really date the now 54-year-old fellow Brit?

Did Liam Payne and Naomi Campbell date?

Liam Payne never spoke about dating Naomi Campbell, and Campbell is famously private regarding her romantic relationships. However, it’s believed the pair dated for around four months in 2019, when Payne was 25, and Campbell was 48 — rumors about which began circulating after they enjoyed the New Year celebrations together in Ghana. They also spent time together in London and New York and would regularly playfully and flirtatiously comment on each other’s social media posts.

Confirmation of their relationship came after they split five years ago when a source who spoke to the Mirror told the publication that “Liam and Naomi had a lot of fun together. They got on well and had a laugh. But it just wasn’t meant to be.” Another insider also revealed Payne and Campbell would “stay friends,” and there was no animosity between them after their split.

Campbell publicly reacted to Payne’s passing for the first time on Friday, Oct. 25, when she commented on a touching Instagram post about the singer by his friend and former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger. Scherzinger wrote that she would “forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago.” Campbell’s comment on the post comprised two dove emojis, an emoji of a broken heart, and two praying hands.

When E! News posted about Campbell’s comment on X, they linked it to a story about her relationship with Payne. It prompted widespread surprised reactions from X users who had no idea the pair had dated.

It shows that relationships between the most famous individuals can be kept private to at least some degree. We continue to send our best wishes to people close to Payne, like Campbell, who will still be mourning his tragic death.