Former One Direction star Liam Payne’s ex fiancée Maya Henry has claimed he had ‘identity issues’ during their time together as she speaks out for the first time since his death
Liam Payne’s former fiancée Maya Henry has claimed the singer struggled with “identity issues” when they were together.
The former One Direction singer tragically died at the age of 31 in October last year after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was in a relationship with girlfriend Kate Cassidy at the time of his death, having started dating in 2022. Liam was previously with Maya on and off from 2018 till 2022, yet she has claimed there were many strains on their relationship.
Following their split, Maya wrote a fictionalised account of her time with Liam in her novel, Looking Forward. Days before his death, Maya posted a TikTok where she claimed Liam has been harassing her, her family, and her friends from various iCloud accounts. She has now spoken out for the first time since his death in a legthy written statement.
Maya admitted Liam’s drug use was what “tore them apart”. She explained feeling torn as while she “loved him deeply” the singer “did things to hurt me in ways I’ll never fully understand”. Maya also claimed to Rolling Stone, that Liam “continued to hurt me years after we broke up”.
She touched on Liam’s personal struggles as she stated: “And through it all, I knew there were parts of himself he was struggling with — parts of his identity he wasn’t ready to fully face, even within our relationship. I saw the signs; I felt the distance. In the end, it wasn’t just the betrayals or the addictions that broke us — it was the realization that I had spent years in something that was never what I thought it was. I don’t fault him for his struggles.”
Maya said Liam “became someone unrecognisable” when on drugs and that she tried hard to be there for him. A source close to Maya claimed to the publication that Liam’s drinking, drug use and mental health struggles were “such a burden” that the singer “couldn’t work properly”.
The source added that Maya was “kind of held captive” by the star’s struggles as she couldn’t “do anything”. Maya admitted what hurts her the most is that “even after his death, I’m left with the aftermath of his actions that continue to unfold”. She claimed: “As I’ve uncovered the extent of his non-consensual image sharing — images he acquired during our engagement and shared without my knowledge or consent — I’m faced with the complexity of grieving for someone I cared so deeply about despite the pain they have caused me.”
Maya’s lawyer sent him a cease and desist order days later to demand he stopped harassing her. In her statement, Maya hinted at betrayals in their relationship as she said: “I saw the signs; I felt the distance. In the end, it wasn’t just the betrayals or the addictions that broke us — it was the realization that I had spent years in something that was never what I thought it was. I don’t fault him for his struggles.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTubeand Threads.
