SEVEN years as a member of One Direction propelled Liam Payne to global stardom.
But 14 years after Simon Cowell first united the five young strangers including Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles, the pop star tragically died in Argentina.
The 31-year-old was in Buenos Aires for Horan’s tour when he tragically plunged from the third floor of his hotel balcony, TMZ reports.
Liam stole the nations heart when he auditioned for The X Factor back in 2008, as well as Cheryl‘s who was on the judging panel.
Liam James Payne was born August 29, 1993, to mum Karen, a nursery nurse, and Geoff Payne, a fitter.
His early childhood was not particularly easy as he was born with a scarred and dysfunctional kidney.
Up until the age of four he was forced to undergo regular test and to help cope with the pain, he had 32 injections in his arm in the morning and evening.
Pictures from that time show an adorable and cheeky looking little boy and in one snap from the family album he can be seen winking at the camera.
Other photographs from his family album show he had musical talent from an early age as he was pictured with a mic.
Liam has previously revealed that he was bullied at secondary school but after taking up boxing lesson he soon grew out of any puppy fat.
He made his debut as a singer when he auditioned for The X Factor in 2008.
After being eliminated as a solo artist he auditioned again in 2010 and was put into a group with four other contestants to form One Direction.
The band went on to sell 70 million records worldwide making them one of the most successful boybands of all time.
They parted ways in 2015 when they went on a hiatus.
Liam got together while Cheryl was going through her divorce to second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini at the beginning of 2016.
Despite their age difference they looked completely infatuated with each other when the couple made their red carpet debut at Cannes in May 2016.
Liam even paid a sweet tribute to his girlfriend by getting a tattoo of her eye on his arm.
The pair welcomed their baby on March 22, 2017.
The Sun revealed in May 2017 that the couple named their son Bear.
However in February 2018, The Sun broke the story that Liam’s constant travelling to promote his solo career had placed a huge strain on the relationship.
SHOCKED fans have started to flood Liam Payne’s last Instagram post with sad tributes as news of the singer’s death emerges.
Charlie Puth, who was friends with Liam and also collaborated with him on a song called Bedroom Floor, has posted a series of Instagram stories dedicated to him.
Alongside photos of the two of them together in their younger days, Charlie wrote: “I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me.
“He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I can not believe he is gone…
“I am so upset right now, may he rest in peace. I am so sorry…”
German DJ Anton Zaslavski, otherwise known as Zedd, has taken to X with a devastated statement.
The producer, who worked with Liam on his 2017 hit Get Low, wrote: “RIP Liam… I can’t believe this is real…absolutely heartbreaking…”
Irish singer duo Jedward also took to social media, saying: “RIP Liam Payne. Condolences to friends and family.”
In another tweet, they added: “Sending strength to Cheryl and his son Bear. And all the One direction Family. RIP Liam Payne.”
American media personality Paris Hilton shared: “So upsetting to hear the news of Liam Payne passing. Sending love and condolences to his family & loved ones. RIP my friend.”
By July 2018, Cheryl and Liam made the decision to split.
Payne released his debut solo album LP1 in December 2019 which included the singles Polaroid and Familiar.
However the Wolverhampton-born singer seemed to struggle with life outside the band.
Liam was brutally honest about his health issues in recent years.
He admitted that he spent time in a US wellness clinic after he “hit rock bottom”.
He also told how a mystery respiratory illness left him floored in 2021.
Liam admitted turning to alcohol and drugs to hide how he struggled to cope with One Direction’s dizzying levels of fame — which would spark panic attacks and high levels of exhaustion.
In 2021, he blamed a “pills and booze phase” for bloating his face to “ten times the size”, while also revealing he used to guzzle the contents of his mini bar when band chiefs checked the lads into hotels to keep fans at bay.
He came across as erratic in interviews by making bizarre claims, including that Cowell built One Direction around his talents and that his solo career has been the most successful of all his bandmates.
By Joanne Kavanagh
IT was a romance that caused a media storm.
One Direction hunk Liam Payne was in a relationship ship X Factor judge Cheryl.
The pair – who have a ten-year age gap – got together while Cheryl was going through her divorce to second husband Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini at the beginning of 2016.
Despite their age difference they looked completely infatuated with each other when the couple made their red carpet debut at Cannes in May 2016.
Liam even paid a sweet tribute to his girlfriend by getting a tattoo of her eye on his arm.
In 2017, Liam and Cheryl welcomed their baby.
Cheryl posted a picture on Instagram of Liam cradling their 7lb 9oz baby.
She captioned the sweet snap with: “On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy looking like a dream.”
One pal told The Sun: “Cheryl gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday, and both are doing well.
“Liam didn’t leave Cheryl’s side throughout the birth, and like her, he is besotted with their new son and can’t wait to take him home.
“This is the perfect Mother’s Day for Cheryl.”
The Sun revealed in May 2017, that the couple named their son Bear.
They decided on the unusual name after spending a week getting to know him.
Bear adopted his One Direction star dad’s surname, so he is called Bear Payne.
A source revealed: “Cheryl and Liam wanted to get to know [their son] before they decided on the name.
“They didn’t have the name Bear before the birth.
“But they’d been thinking of a name since meeting him and they just felt it suited him.”
In February 2018, The Sun broke the story that Liam’s constant travelling to promote his solo career had placed a huge strain on the relationship, and they were ready to split.
That same month, Cheryl declared that “none of it matters” as she shrugged off questions about her crumbling romance with Liam during a BBC Breakfast interview.
They then put on a united front together at the Brit Awards, where they smiled on the red carpet and Cheryl joked about the couple’s ‘safe word’.
However, by July 2018, Cheryl and Liam made the decision to split.
A pal told The Sun: “Cheryl and Liam worked really hard on their relationship – they had troubles earlier this year and were able to get through them.
“But they’re in different stages of their lives and, after a lot of careful thought, came to a decision that it’s best for everyone if they do go their separate ways.”
Liam and Cheryl then released a statement confirming their break-up.
They posted a message on social media that read: “We are sad to announce that we are going our separate ways. It’s been a tough decision for us to make.
“We still have so much love for each other as a family. Bear is our world and we ask that you respect his privacy as we navigate our way through this together.”
Liam also made strange comments about his romance with Cheryl, saying their split was partly down to their son Bear.
Since breaking up with Cheryl, Liam’s love life had been just as turbulent as his health worries.
He was linked to supermodel Naomi Campbell, 54, in 2019.
And he had an on-off, three-year relationship with ex-fiancée Maya Henry which was said to have ended for good in May last year.
Then pictures emerged of him with his arms around American modeL Aliana Mawla.
He had an on-off, three-year relationship with ex-fiancée Maya Henry which was said to have ended for good in May, 2022.
PEOPLE smugglers are turning to alternative routes into Britain to beat a small boats crackdown.
The gangs are increasingly being paid by asylum seekers to hide them in vehicles.
They are also overstaying visas, according to the Refugee Council.
Just three in ten asylum claims are now made by small boat arrivals, compared with four in ten the year before, it reports.
CEO Enver Solomon said: “It’s no secret that where you ramp up enforcement activity in relation to one route you’re going to see a shift in how people seek to get to the UK.”
Meanwhile, Labour will have to wave through another 62,000 applications to ease the backlog, the Refugee Council has predicted.
More than half of the 118,882 currently waiting will be allowed to stay, it suggests.
The Home Office, headed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, is understood to have ramped up processing in recent weeks.
Cases built up after the previous Tory government stopped processing applications for those who arrived illegally.
Mr Solomon said: “Applications are moving again but we are concerned there is no clear plan yet to improve the rate of decision-making to keep pace with applications and avoid another backlog emerging.”
It comes as 176 crossed the Channel in three dinghies on Tuesday.
Small boat crossings in 2024 now total 27,509, compared with 26,116 this time last year.
The Home Office said: “We continue to remove more people with no right to be here — with over 3,000 people returned since we formed government — while also driving down the costs of asylum accommodation.”
ONE in four drivers say their vehicle has been damaged by a pothole in the past year — but less than a fifth of compensation claims are successful.
A survey found 27 per cent of motorists have suffered an average of £718 damage — £7.5billion per year nationwide.
If a vehicle is damaged by a poorly maintained road they are entitled to claim compensation from those responsible — usually the local authority.
But a Freedom of Information request by Halfords shows just 18 per cent of claims to councils resulted in a payout.
The motoring firm has launched a free Pothole Damage Check to help drivers claim compensation.
It is also calling on the Government to spend more on fixing potholes.
Halfords’ Karen Bellairs said: “Roads are in a shocking state and drivers are hitting potholes more and more frequently.”
Earlier in the month, The Sun reported on how drivers were left stranded on the side of the M25 after a “hidden” pothole caused more than a dozen breakdowns during rush hour.
The “massive” hole was apparently all but invisible to the motorists, as pictures showed around 20 cars lined up on the hard shoulder.
The M25 is one of Britain’s busiest roads and is used by around 200,000 vehicles a day.
But a section of the route was clogged up with reports of five-mile queues after drivers came across a nasty surprise on the road surface.
Lorry driver Blaine Conway, 39, said he heard a “big bang” as he hit the crater, forcing him to pull over.
He told The Sun: “I was leaving work around half five, and I was on the M25 southbound between junction 13 and 12.
“It was very dark and it was raining.
“All of a sudden I heard a big bang and I knew something was wrong.
“I parked up on the hard shoulder where I saw two or three other cars.
“At one point there were 27 cars parked on the side of the road.”
Blaine thought to himself “that’s going to cost me money.”
THOUSANDS of women may be living with undetected breast cancer after missing screening appointments.
The NHS warned about a third of eligible patients did not accept the free test offer last year.
Figures show that was just over one million people, and 2.2million have missed an appointment in the past three years.
An estimated one in 100 women are diagnosed with cancer after screening.
In 2023 there were 18,942 tumours detected out of 1.93million women screened for breast cancer, but a further 1.05m women who were invited did not attend.
The one per cent detection rate means there were potentially 10,000 missed cases.
Breast cancer is the most common form of the disease in the UK with around 57,000 new cases every year.
Dr Louise Wilkinson, adviser to NHS England, said: “Breast screening saves lives by allowing cancers to be identified and treated earlier.
“Discovering breast cancer at the earliest stage may give you a 98 per cent chance of surviving for five years or more.
“Screening can often pick up cancer before you can even see or feel any changes to your breasts yourself.
“I urge anyone invited to take up the offer.”
Screening is generally offered to women every three years between the ages of 50 and 71, when their risk increases.
Scans are carried out in local clinics and hospitals, as well as in roving scan vans in some places.
Kathryn Cowley, 58, was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram in 2022 revealed an abnormality.
She underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy, and said that attending appointments was “vital”.
“My breast cancer journey has a positive outcome and it’s very lucky that I attended my regular breast screening,” Ms Cowley said.
“I have now had my one-year follow-up mammogram and I was very relieved that this was normal.
There’s no time to waste to save more lives from breast cancer
Claire Rowney
“Attending routine screening is vital – I was fortunate that I attended my appointment and did not put it off.
“My mammogram detected my cancer before it could be felt, which was a game changer.”
Women who have had a mammogram should still check their breasts regularly.
The NHS recommends a “touch, look, check” (TLC) approach.
Claire Rowney, chief of the charity Breast Cancer Now, said: “These figures serve as a timely reminder, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, that far too many people are missing out on the vital breast screening that saves lives from breast cancer.
“The stark reality is that thousands of women miss having their breast cancer detected each year.”
“We look forward to working with NHS England to ensure breast screening services are accessible and convenient for everyone who is eligible.
“We encourage eligible women to attend their breast screening appointments when invited and to regularly check their breasts to get to ‘know their normal’ and get any new or unusual breast changes checked out by a GP, including between screening appointments.
“There’s no time to waste to save more lives from breast cancer.”
It is important to regularly check your breasts for any changes. Breast tissue reaches all the way up to your collarbone and across to your armpit, so it’s vital to check these areas too.
If you feel or see any changes in your breast you should always consult your GP.
Charity CoppaFeel! recommends checking your breasts monthly, so you can pick up on any changes quickly.
Breasts do change naturally as part of your monthly menstrual cycle, so you should get to know your breasts, how they feel and what changes they usually go through to know if anything is out of the ordinary.
Five-step check
There is a five-step self exam you can do at home to check for any changes.
Step one: Begin by looking in a mirror, facing it with your arms on your hips and your shoulders straight. You should be looking for any dimpling, puckering, bulging skin, redness, soreness, a rash or changes in the nipple.
Step two: Still looking in the mirror, raise both arms above your head and check for the same changes.
Step three: With your arms still above your head, check for any fluid coming from the nipples. This can include milky, yellow or watery fluid, or blood.
Step four: While lying down use your opposite hand to check each breast. Using a few fingers, keeping them flat and together, go in a small circular motion around your breasts. Make sure you feel the entire breast by going top to bottom in these small circles. It helps to develop a system or pattern to make sure every inch is covered. Use light pressure for the skin and tissue just beneath, medium pressure for the tissue in the middle of your breasts, and firm pressure to feel the tissue at the back, feeling down to your ribcage.
Step five: Feel your breasts while either standing or sitting, using the same small circular motions.
GLOBAL superstar Liam Payne shot to fame as a member of the popular boyband One Direction but recently passed away.
As well as achieving success and stardom, the singer also found romance with US model Kate Cassidy. But who is she? Here’s everything you need to know.
Kate Cassidy is an American model from New Jersey.
According to sources, she is the daughter of a British father and went to top university Charleston in South Carolina.
As of September 2023, Kate has an impressive 47,000 followers on Instagram – where she regularly posts stunning selfies, snaps from her sun-soaked travels and pictures with former One-Direction star, Liam Payne.
Aside from this information, not much else is known about Kate’s personal life.
Until his passing in October 2024, Kate Cassidy and Liam Payne were still together – despite previously calling it quits.
The on/off couple split in May 2023, before later rekindling their romance.
In September, it was reported that the singer had been rushed to hospital with agonising kidney pain after he fell ill on a trip to Lake Como in Italy with girlfriend Kate.
Liam was celebrating his one-year anniversary with Kate when he fell ill at their property beside the lake.
The pair first got together in July 2022, with the superstar spending the majority of the Christmas period with Kate and her family in the States before flying back to the UK.
Ex-One Direction star and singer Liam Payne was a father to son Bear – who he shared with former girlfriend Cheryl.
The couple welcomed their son on March 22, 2017.
At the time, the proud new mum posted a picture on Instagram of Liam cradling their 7lb 9oz new baby.
She captioned the sweet shot: “On Wednesday Liam and I became parents to an incredibly beautiful, healthy baby boy looking like a dream.”
Liam famously dated Cheryl, who he met when he auditioned on The X Factor back in 2008, where she was on the judging panel.
After two years of dating, pair announced their split on Sunday, July 1, 2018.
JEOPARDY! viewers have called out Ken Jennings for accepting an ‘illegible’ response that was ‘impossible’ to read before Rishabh scored his second win.
Due to the difficulty of the audience being able to make out what the handwritten Final Jeopardy! answer said, many are demanding the show change to a keyboard for the iconic segment.
On Wednesday night’s game, Rishabh – who has already become a season 41 fan favorite following yesterday’s dominating debut – seemed eager to continue his winning streak.
The Illinois native, who is currently a Sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, played against Jay Eversman, an environmental attorney from St. Louis, Missouri and Rachel Cassidy, an associate professor from Providence, Rhode Island.
Rishabh tried making aggressive wagers early which cost him $1k when he incorrectly answered the first Daily Double.
He picked up momentum though and gained the lead back, having $3,000 by the time of the first break.
Jay and Rachel were tied in second place with $1,400 each.
Rachel began to pick up the pace and added $2k to her score when she correctly answered the second Daily Double under the category “The Book Nook.”
Her quick-thinking brought her total to $10,100 heading into Final Jeopardy! – just $300 behind Rishabh who had accumulated $10,400 and had to be smart with his wager for a chance to win.
Meanwhile, Jay was far behind with a total of $4,800 going into the last round.
Host Ken Jennings read out the clue for Final Jeopardy! under the category “College Towns.”
“Two schools in the Southeastern Conference are located in cities with this same name but in different states,” he read.
Rishabh and Rachel were both ruled to be right after writing “What is Columbia?” and he added $9,801 to win with $20,201 for a two-day total of $42,402.
After Rachel failed to wager enough when she found the second Daily Double, she could have taken the lead and likely would have won the game.
However, many viewers can’t help but call out Ken for accepting Rishabh’s answer that they claim was “completely illegible.”
The contestant appeared to be nervous and rushing, so quickly jotted down his answer which read more like “Cdumlacf” than actual “Columbia.”
Still, Ken and the judges the show uses to determine any discrepancies decided to take the two-day champ’s answer – leaving mixed reactions from fans.
“Man I just do not know if that said ‘Columbia.’ I guess if it’s good enough for Ken though,” one person suggested.
Another agreed, writing: “It’s very messy (“Cdumlaq”?), but all the necessary strokes for “Columbia” are there as far as I can tell.
“Also, it’s not up to Ken. The judges can see what each contestant is writing in real time, and they make the ruling.”
“It’s beyond time for contestants to have a keyboard for FJ,” a third demanded – referencing the current tradition of the last answer being handwritten and timed.
Passing Jeopardy!'s online Anytime Test is hard enough, but there are also many rules players must follow once they make it to the stage:
While one more said: “My ruling was that his response was illegible. Apparently my rulings have very little influence.”
Due to Rachel missing out on a win by the slightest margin, she grew a fanbase that hopes to have her back with the franchise in the future.
“Strong showing for Rachel. She’d make a good addition whenever they do another Second Chance Tournament,” an admirer wrote.
After winning his first game, Rishabh won over much of the audience with his intelligence and charming personality.
“Rishabh is the smartest (and my favorite) player of season 41,” an excited viewer said with a heart emoji.
The college student is no stranger to trivia, as he has a long resume competing in National Academic Quiz Tournaments.
He now is an intern with a pharmaceutical company and focuses on his studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will receive his Bachelor’s in Mathematical Economics in 2027.
A LOTTERY player has instantly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars from their prize pot.
They lost the money after snagging a $2 million scratch-off win earlier this month.
Maryland Lottery officials confirmed the player bought the lucky ticket for the 200X The Cash game at a Giant Food supermarket in Owings Mills, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Baltimore.
Fortunately, the player came forward right away to claim the cash.
Maryland has one of the shortest lottery ticket claim windows in the United States at 182 days from the drawing date.
Given that the anonymous player’s win was well above $25,000, they also had to make an in-person appointment with the Maryland Lottery Claim Center in Baltimore to get their money, per the Maryland State Archives.
This was after they signed the back of the ticket to confirm the win.
Arguably, one of the toughest decisions to make in the lottery-winning process is how to collect the funds.
Winners are given the option of getting all of the cash up front in a one-time lump sum distribution or spread out over annuity payments for several years.
There’s a significant debate between lawyers and lottery experts as to which choice is better.
Taking the annuity payments would allow for a consistent income stream and lessen the impact of certain tax implications, along with saving players from making any detrimental mistakes.
Still, once you choose the annuity payments, it’s locked in and can’t be changed.
With the lump sum, all the money is accessible right away and allows for opportunities to invest appropriately to create consistent income.
Hiring a financial advisor and lawyer is highly recommended to ensure that the best outcome for the winnings is reached.
Most players chose the lump sum, and so did the $2 million winner in Maryland.
The decision means they face the downside of the lump sum — taxes.
Players who win big on lottery tickets typically have a choice to make: lump sum or annuity?
The two payout methods can impact how much money you get from your prize.
Annuities pay out slowly in increments, often over 30 years.
Lump sums pay all at once but in a smaller amount, as taxes are withheld in one go. That means 24% of your prize goes to Uncle Sam right away. Many states tax winnings as well.
Annuities can provide winners time to set up the financial infrastructure required to take in a life-changing amount of money, but lump sums have the benefit of being taxed only once.
Inflation is also worth considering when making a choice, as payouts do not adjust with the value of a dollar. That means that you’ll likely be getting less valuable money towards the end of an annuity.
Each state and game pays out prizes differently, so it’s best to check with your state’s lottery to confirm payment policies. A financial advisor can also help you weigh the pros and cons of each option.
Experts have varying opinions on whether to take the lump sum or take the annuity.
The federal government imposes a 24% tax on lottery winnings above $5,000.
States set their rate, and Maryland’s is 8.75% for residents.
That means the $2 million winner had about $655,000 taken out before they saw any of the cash.
They walked away instead with approximately $1.34 million.
That’s still a considerable return on their $30 investment for the ticket.
A Maryland player this spring also faced a similar situation after winning $50,000 this year, losing $16,475 instantly.