Maya Henry’s heartbreaking statement on ex-fiancé Liam Payne’s death: 'I tried to be there for him'

The tragic death of Liam Payne in October 2024 shocked the world. The former One Direction star fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina, leaving fans and loved ones devastated. He was loved by millions, but behind the fame was a complicated personal life. Payne dated many high-profile women including Cheryl Cole.

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At the time of his death, he was dating influencer Kate Cassidy, who only recently opened up about his death. Many tributes poured in from fans and loved ones for Payne but one voice remained notably silent—his ex-fiancée, Maya Henry.

In an emotional statement to Rolling Stone, Maya shared heartbreaking details about their relationship and Payne’s struggles. The couple, who were engaged for two years before breaking up in 2022, had a tumultuous past marked by addiction, alleged harassment, and legal battles. Maya’s statement not only sheds light on their troubled relationship but also raises unsettling questions about the aftermath of his actions.

Maya Henry opens up about Liam Payne’s death

For the first time since Payne’s death, Maya Henry has opened up about their relationship and breakup. In a written statement to Rolling Stone, she described her deep love for him and the pain his addiction caused and said:

This was someone I loved very much. Initially, it was the drug use and addictions that tore us apart. Anyone who has been with an addict understands how difficult that is.

Maya added that while she loved him, Payne kept doing things to hurt her and didn’t stop after they split. Detailing how addiction changed him into someone she no longer recognised, Maya said:

On drugs, he became someone unrecognizable — so different from his sober self. I kept hoping each incident would be a wake-up call for him to get help, but it never was.

In the heartbreaking statement, Maya expressed regret over staying in a relationship that harmed her. Like any hopeful in love, the model hoped that by staying longer and more patiently with him she would be able to change him. She shared:

I tried to be there for him. I loved him so much that I convinced myself I could fix things, that if I just held on a little longer, he would change.

I put myself in situations that were unsafe and harmful, ignoring every red flag because I didn’t want to give up on him. I let myself believe that love could be stronger than addiction.

However, her efforts were in vain and their relationship remained toxic and abusive. She revealed:

But that’s not how addiction works. No matter how much I tried to save him, I was drowning in the process.

Expressing how the relationship left a huge impact on her, Maya shared she was left with ‘nothing but emptiness’ as her love and sacrifices were never enough. She ultimately chose herself when the realisation hit that the relationship was as doomed as ever. She wrote:

It wasn’t about me or anything I did. It was about struggles beyond my control. And in the end, I had to choose myself. I had to walk away, no matter how much it hurt, because staying in his world meant losing myself.

Following his passing, Maya revealed that she was still dealing with the consequences of his alleged actions. She concluded the statement and said:

Now after everything, what hurts the most is that even after his death, I’m left with the aftermath of his actions that continue to unfold…

I’m faced with the complexity of grieving for someone I cared so deeply about despite the pain they have caused me.

Inside Liam and Maya’s relationship

Liam Payne and Maya Henry’s relationship was a rollercoaster, to say the least. The couple first met in 2018, shortly after Payne’s breakup with Cheryl Cole, reports US Weekly. They went public in 2019 and got engaged in August 2020. Payne confirmed the happy news on Good Morning America, saying the two were ‘just really happy.’

However, soon cracks began to show. In June 2021, Payne announced on The Diary of a CEO podcast that they had split. He admitted:

I feel like more than anything at this point, I'm more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people. That annoys me. I've just not been very good at relationships.

Despite this, they rekindled their romance a few months later, reports Hello!. The couple made a red carpet appearance at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2021.

Their reunion was short-lived. In May 2022, Maya confirmed their final breakup by commenting on a photo of Payne with another woman:

Please stop sending me these pictures of my fiancé wrapped around another woman. This is not me, and it’s hard enough knowing this has happened without seeing it. Enough now.

Their relationship, which had already been plagued with struggles, ultimately unravelled due to Payne’s alleged infidelity and substance abuse issues. Payne himself admitted he had not been a good partner, stating in interviews that he struggled with relationships and needed to work on himself.

While she has not explicitly detailed all of the turbulence in their relationship, Maya did write a book based on real-life events that reportedly provides some insight.

Maya’s book: A reflection of reality?

In May 2024, Maya released Looking Forward, a novel inspired by real-life events. The book tells the story of Mallory, a model who falls in love with Oliver Smith, a singer from a fictional boy band. Oliver struggles with addiction, engages in infidelity, and displays disturbing behaviour, including threatening suicide. In one harrowing scene, he chases Mallory with an axe.

A source close to Maya confirmed to Rolling Stone that these scenes were based on her real experiences with Payne. However, Maya herself maintained that certain details were fictionalised. She said on The Internet Is Dead podcast:

Some of the things that fictionalized the book were, obviously, the name changes, some of the cities are different.

Maya’s allegations against Liam Payne

Following their split, tensions between Maya and Payne escalated significantly. Maya accused Payne of ongoing harassment, alleging that he continued to contact her despite their breakup. In October 2024, just days before his tragic death, Maya posted a TikTok video detailing her experiences. According to The Standard and Yahoo!, she claimed that Payne had been messaging her from multiple iCloud accounts, emailing her, and even encouraging his fan base to send her hateful messages.

She alleged in the video:

Ever since we broke up, he messages me, will blow up my phone, not only from his phone number, it’s always from different phone numbers too, so I never know where it’s gonna come from.

He’ll create new iCloud accounts to iMessage me — it’s always a damn new iCloud account. Every time I see one pop up on my phone I’m like, ‘Here we f--king go again.’

Additionally, she shared that Payne went as far as ‘blowing up’ her mother’s phone.

Maya took legal action shortly thereafter, sending Payne a cease-and-desist order through her lawyers. The document, which was later reviewed by Rolling Stone, accused him of not only harassment but also of distributing intimate photos of her without her consent. The legal notice stated: