Liam Payne was “like a little brother”, Ant Middleton told GB News as he paid tribute to the pop star.
Payne, 31, died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
Local police said the ex-One Direction star fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in the Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina’s capital, before medics confirmed his death.
Middleton was joined by Payne to film the documentary Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking in 2019.
Ant Middleton said Payne was ‘forced into isolation’
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The SAS star told Martin Daubney that Payne was “forced into isolation” after his group One Direction parted ways in 2016.
“I spent four days with him on my show, four days and four nights in Namibia. We spoke about his fame and his upbringing”, he said.
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“We spoke about his boyband days. When he left the boyband I believe he lost that sense of belonging and he find it hard to regain that identity. I was super shocked to hear the news.
“We continued our relationship after the show. I looked at him like a younger brother as he was a lot like me when I was young.
“He was super positive and outgoing. If you were hanging around with him, you were going to get some good energy. I was the same as a youngster so I suppose I saw myself in him.
“He opened up a lot behind the scenes. He went through that young age of being a superstar and selling out stadiums and arenas and then all of a sudden, that comes to an end.
Ant Middleton joined Martin Daubney on GB News
GB NEWS
“It’s like, ‘who am I? Where is my belonging? Everything I know has come to a halt’, I think he really struggled with that.”
He added: “I continued the relationship with him. He would call me when he was by himself and I only lived an hour away, I would go around for some food and a deep chat.
“I suppose with Liam, the one thing I really noticed is he was forced into isolation because of the stardom One Direction had. It’s not like the celebrity status I have where I get pestered a little bit, but they couldn’t go out.
“I don’t think the isolation did him any good because he was in his own head. He was super positive and he will be sorely missed.”
Liam Payne died after falling from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, ArgentinaGettyPayne’s former school in Wolverhampton, St Peter’s Collegiate Academy in Compton Park, said he was “well-liked” by friends and teachers, and “made a positive impact” on the school community.
In a post on Facebook, the school wrote: “During his time at St Peter’s Collegiate Academy, Liam was not only well-liked by his peers and teachers but also recognised for his talents.
“He made a positive impact on our school community, and his contributions will be remembered”.