Liam Payne's Ex Cheryl Cole Reached Out to One Direction Singer's Devastated Girlfriend Kate Cassidy After Influencer Received Massive Backlash Over AI Photos — 'She Feels Protective of Her'
Liam Payne's ex Cheryl Cole is said to feel 'protective' of his girlfriend Kate Cassidy after his death.
Oct. 16 2025, Published 4:31 p.m. ET
The late Liam Payne's ex-girlfriend and mother of his eight-year-old son Bear, Cheryl Cole, is said to have reached out to check on his grieving girlfriend Kate Cassidy ahead of the one year anniversary of his death, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Sources claimed Cole, 42, has become "protective" of Cassidy, 26, who had been on vacation with the One Direction singer in Argentina days before he fell to his death at age 31 from his Buenos Aires third-floor hotel balcony on October 16, 2024.
While a grief-stricken Cassidy later explained she made the decision to cut her vacation with Payne short because she had "responsibilities" and needed to home to care for their dog, fans bombarded her with hateful messages and death threats as they felt she could have prevented his tragic demise.
Payne and Cole split in 2018 and share son Bear together.
In the days leading up to Payne's one year death anniversary, sources said it's naturally been a time of reflection and emotional turmoil for his loved ones, including Cassidy and Cole.
Cassidy recently faced backlash for sharing "distasteful" AI-generated images of her cuddling the singer, which she claimed were sent to her by a fan. Some followers were quick to take offense.
One commented, "Please don't start doing this," while another charged, "Whoever has done this is a weird individual."
Cole Supports Cassidy Through Backlash
Cassidy was slammed by fans after she shared AI photos of herself and the late singer.
Meanwhile, insiders said Cassidy has received support from an unlikely corner – Cole. Tipsters claimed Cole reached out and offered Payne's grieving girlfriend advice on how to navigate backlash.
An insider dished: "Cheryl has kept out of the public eye since Liam's death, as she's been focusing on Bear and helping him navigate the heartbreaking loss of his dad.
"But people grieve differently. Kate is a public figure with a big social media following, and Cheryl respects that everyone copes in their own way.
"Cheryl decided she had no choice but to reach out after the criticism Kate received."
Cole and Cassidy's 'Moving' Phone Call Ended in Tears'
Sources claimed Cole 'decided she had no choice but to reach out' to Cassidy amid backlash over the AI images.
Cole is said to have felt "protective" of the 26-year-old "and was really upset after seeing the backlash."
The insider noted: "After 25 years in the public eye, Cheryl knows how damaging that kind of attention can be for your mental health.
"Her call was also an opportunity to offer some advice, which Kate was appreciative of. Kate asked after Bear, and Cheryl told her that she's just doing her best to help him through it.
"Both of them ended up in tears, and they shared memories of Liam and spoke about how to honor him while protecting Bear."
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The source noted: "Kate was incredibly respectful and even said she wants to help support Bear going forward. It was a very moving conversation."
As RadarOnline.com reported, while Cassidy insisted she was "not to blame" for Payne's drug-fueled death, she admitted, in hindsight, how much she regrets leaving her late boyfriend behind in Buenos Aires.
An autopsy report revealed Payne, who struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues, had a cocktail of prescription drugs, alcohol, cocaine, crack and pink cocaine, a street drug, among other substances in his system at the time of his death.
