“It still doesn’t feel fully real for me that he’s not here,” the late singer’s girlfriend said

Kate Cassidy; Liam Payne. Photo: Dave Benett/Getty; Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy became emotional while reflecting on his final moments in her first interview since his death.

The One Direction singer died after falling from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on Oct. 16, 2024. He was 31. More than three months later, his girlfriend is remembering their final days together in an exclusive with The Sun published Wednesday, Feb. 5.

The 25-year-old influencer had been vacationing with Payne before his death and appeared in various videos from his final posts on Snapchat. During her conversation with the U.K. outlet, she revealed she wished she would have stayed instead of returning to their home in Florida.

Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy, 2022 Fashion Awards.Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis/Getty

“I had a responsibility, we had a responsibility. We had our dog and obviously I never, ever thought this event would occur,” Cassidy said of her decision.

The couple, who dated for two years before the tragedy, shared a rescue dog named Nala.

She described Payne’s death “a tragic accident,” telling The Sun she “never” thought he would die young.

“But, you know, we did have our own separate lives — this wasn’t the first time we have traveled separately,” Cassidy said. “I just never thought this would have happened, that it would turn out the way it did. It still doesn’t feel fully real for me that he’s not here.”

She added that she still thinks about the English singer “every second of every day.”

Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy, March 2023.Dave J Hogan/Getty

“From the moment I met Liam, I genuinely believed we were soulmates; he was the most humble, charming, normal person you could ever hope to come across, and genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life,” Cassidy said.

The influencer added that knowing Payne would no longer “be there with me to navigate through this life, that I’ll have to deal with this without him by my side” is “really hard.”

“You don’t think about the worst possible thing that can happen,” she continued.

On her Instagram Stories Wednesday, Cassidy told her followers about the interview, saying she “wanted to share an insight into the relationship with the love of my life” after receiving thousands of messages from his fans.

Kate Cassidy shares post.Kate Cassidy/Instagram

“This is my first ever interview while I navigate the pain of losing Liam, so please bear with me as I share my experience, which I hope will be received with compassion and understanding,” she wrote.

The week after his death, Cassidy shared an Instagram tribute to the “What Makes You Beautiful” singer.

Included in a carousel of some of their happiest moments together was text of her saying, “I don’t even know where to begin. My heart is shattered in ways I can’t put into words.”

She referred to Payne as “my best friend, the love of my life.”

“I will love you for the rest of my life and beyond, carrying our dreams and memories with me everywhere I go,” she concluded.