Tortured life of One Direction’s Quiet One: How Liam Payne was born ‘effectively dead’, snubbed by Di Caprio and ‘slammed against a wall by a bandmate’, reveals CHRISTOPHER STEVENS
As I read through Liam Payne’s tumultuous journey, I can’t help but feel a profound sense of empathy for this young man who was catapulted into stardom at an unprecedented pace. The pressure of fame, the struggle to find his identity beyond the band, and the relentless pursuit of success that often led him down dark alleys – it’s all too familiar a tale for those who have walked the same path.
Ever since our whirlwind journey began on The X Factor, I’ve been part of a group that was compared to the legendary Beatles – a comparison we wore with both humility and pride. Our lives were a rollercoaster, filled with the adoration of hysterical fans, triumphant moments in the States, and an unending string of irresistibly catchy hits.
If One Direction were a modern-day version of The Beatles, Liam Payne seemed to embody the role that John Lennon’s counterpart, George Harrison, would have played in this new era. Known for his introspective, reserved, and somewhat sarcastic demeanor, he was often uneasy with the spotlight, earning him the nickname “The Quiet One.
Unlike The Beatles who rose to fame organically, One Direction was essentially fabricated as a boy band. They were a group of teenagers who didn’t know each other before being molded into an artificial unit for a TV talent show. It was in 2012 when the competition catapulted all five members into instant stardom, with Payne being just 16 at that time.
Under the crushing weight of worldwide superstardom, they all struggled, yet none more so than Payne. In an attempt to manage his solitude, he turned to excessive alcohol consumption.
He mentioned that we were confined to our hotel rooms every night, and after that, it was hop in the car, perform on stage, and sing. It felt like they were just taking away the dust cover, allowing us some freedom for a moment, only to tell us to return right away.
At some stage, I found myself saying, “I guess I’ll celebrate alone,” and that attitude persisted for numerous years in my life. Over time, when I reflect on it, I realize how long I’ve been drinking – it was quite a ride, and it seemed to be the only means I had to release my aggravation.
After the band separated in 2016, life grew even more fragmented for him. He started cohabiting with singer Cheryl (formerly known as Tweedy, Cole, and Fernandez-Versini), who is a decade older, and was an X Factor judge when One Direction first came together. They welcomed their son, Bear, in 2017.
Subsequently, the relationship fell apart, and there was a brief romance with supermodel Naomi Campbell, who was significantly older at 23 years his senior. In time, he proposed to model Maya Henry, who was younger by eight years. Initially, it seemed as though he had found his soulmate, but their romantic journey became complicated and marred by turmoil and fixation.
Previously, Henry ended their relationship, and recently, he released a book titled “Looking Forward,” which narrates the story of an isolated American girl. Her admiration for her British boy-band crush transforms into a harrowing romantic ordeal.
As the cover indicates, drawing from real-life occurrences, this narrative delves into the emotional fallout of a distressing termination and includes a sequence portraying the heavily drugged protagonist pursuing his partner with an axe in a harrowing scene.
Payne implored her not to make public the book, while this week Henry disclosed that he had been inundating her and her mother with texts. In response to these actions, she enlisted lawyers to send Payne a ‘stop and desist’ order. She explained: “Since our separation, he keeps messaging me, causing my phone to explode – even the messages come from various numbers, so I never know when or where they will appear.
Although the book contained troubling material, she pointed out that it wasn’t an exhaustive revelation. She mentioned that there were even more distressing aspects she chose to omit.
His most recent romantic involvement was with internet personality Kate Cassidy, and his last uploaded picture displayed them enjoying each other’s company, accompanied by the caption, ‘Spending some quality moments together’. They had traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital, to catch a concert by bandmate Niall Horan from One Direction. Footage shot by fans at the event two weeks back depicted him singing enthusiastically, evidently affected by alcohol or narcotics.
From the outset, Payne’s life was a blend of health challenges and ambitions for fame. He once expressed that he felt like he was born practically lifeless, being premature and unresponsive. The initial four years of his life were marked by hospital visits due to kidney issues: one of his kidneys had severe scarring, resulting in poor functionality.
Growing up in Wolverhampton as a youngster, he received 32 injections into his arms every morning and night. Out of three siblings, he was the baby, cherishing the affection bestowed upon him by his elder sisters. He found joy in performing songs and dances for the amusement of the television.
At a vacation camp with his family when he was five years old, he participated in his initial talent competition, singing “Let Me Entertain You” by Robbie Williams. His parents, Geoff and Karen, adored him deeply; however, as he grew older and attended secondary school, his aspirations for show business and the evident backing from his family sparked jealousy among his peers.
He took up running, rising at dawn to run six miles before school and competing at county level in the 1,500 metres. To fend off bullies, he also began boxing – suffering a broken nose and a perforated eardrum. At school, he got into fights too, and was threatened with expulsion.
He was known for being quite enterprising, peddling candies at the playground. Later on, he stated that idleness wasn’t an option. Instead, he urged others to take action and seize opportunities. Sell items on eBay, he suggested.
However, he additionally exhibited a concerning pattern of adolescent persistence in pursuing girls intensely, repeatedly asking them to go out with him. One refused him approximately 20 times, only for him to eventually surround her and serenade her with the song “Let Me Love You” by American R&B artist Mario. She ended the relationship the following day.
At only 14 years old, he registered for The X Factor in the year 2008. Since people had praised him for his singing abilities, he decided to take a chance. Wearing an oversized shirt and loose jeans that further emphasized his youthful appearance, he sang Fly Me To The Moon. He would snap his fingers like Sinatra and flirtatiously wink at Cheryl in the process.
Showrunner Simon Cowell bluntly informed Payne that he held promise yet seemed to be lacking “some determination and depth… approximately 20% is currently absent in my opinion.
As a lifestyle expert, I might put it like this: I managed to last a few more weeks on the show before getting eliminated. Simon Cowell advised me to give it another go in two years. Right after the episode was broadcasted, I found myself in a McDonald’s when a stranger suddenly exclaimed, “X Factor hopeful!” at me.
Two years after initially overlooking him, Cowell later brought him on board for The X Factor’s boy band, which also included Harry Styles as a natural star, Zayn Malik with his soulful voice, and the heartthrobs Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. In this group, Payne’s role was to add a touch of melodic sweetness by singing the high harmony lines.
However, navigating through the synthetic environment was always challenging. “Initially, we found it hard to surpass our individual egos,” Payne explained. “Each person had their personal issue – it felt like dealing with four dominant siblings.
In 2010, One Direction advanced to the final round. During their performance of Elton John’s “Your Song,” Liam Payne took the solo spot. Despite finishing third in public voting, behind Matt Cardle and Rebecca Ferguson, they were still offered a record deal by Cowell, which they accepted with his Syco label.
After the tour, they joined other X Factor contestants, but the band was already in a class of its own due to the intense adoration of their fans. In the year 2011, they released their debut album, Up All Night, which was packed with catchy pop tunes and included the hit single “What Makes You Beautiful”.
Following their success at the top of UK and Irish charts, winning the Brit Award for Best British Single, they strategically launched an impressive social media promotion in the United States. The result was that Up All Night instantly reached No. 1 on American charts, with two additional successful albums and a live-performance film following suit.
Initially, Payne took on the role of the band’s representative and peacemaker, which fans affectionately nicknamed him ‘Daddy Directioner’.
As someone who tends to carry the wisdom of yesteryears, I’ve found myself in unique company throughout my life. In school, I had friends but I spent more time with my father. This pattern continued when I joined a group of lively young musicians. When things took a turn for the worse within our band, I was often the one to receive those late-night calls. If an apology was required, it fell upon me.
Back in 2013 during our Aussie tour, I took it upon myself to alert the fanbase about steering clear of our hotel due to potentially dangerous snake-infested surroundings. Those creepy crawlers could be lurking in the nearby fields!
One incident affected him badly. Reunited for an evening with his parents, he tried to take them out for a meal but on the way to the restaurant they were mobbed by fans and paparazzi. His mother was barged to the ground. When they reached safety, Payne burst into tears and sobbed uncontrollably.
Under this strain, it proved untenable. It was Malik who succumbed first, leaving the band in 2014. For another year, One Direction continued with four members, but eventually, each member embarked on their individual music careers.
Payne found himself without a clear direction, in all aspects. As the lead songwriter for his band, he faced difficulties in determining the musical path he wished to tread. His management set him up with various collaborators: as he put it, “it felt like a series of blind dates.
During therapy sessions, my therapist would inquire about my hobbies, to which I replied with uncertainty. At that age, 21 or 22, I began embarking on my own path, which was both nerve-wracking and isolating. The most significant challenge was discovering our identities apart from the group dynamics.
I can’t help but gush about this guy who rocked one chart-topping anthem, “Strip That Down.” The title alone speaks volumes about his knack for stripping down to pants, flaunting his ink and physique on photoshoots. He even landed a modeling gig with Hugo Boss underwear, aiming to join the league of style icons like David Beckham and Brad Pitt. I mean, can you blame him? He’s got the body and the charisma!
At a swanky soiree in the heart of LA, I found myself painfully reminded of my unfulfilled aspirations as an A-lister when I crossed paths with rap legends P Diddy and Jay-Z, along with the charismatic Leonardo DiCaprio.
Upon approaching, Payne introduced himself, only to encounter scornful expressions. As he shook hands with Diddy, he let out a chilling, wicked-sounding laughter.
Over time, Payne’s career started to decline as his debut album struggled to make it into the US Top 100 and peaked only at number 17 in the UK. The album, titled LP1, which was a play on his initials, didn’t resonate well, and neither did the music, which consisted of unmemorable ballads and lackluster dance tracks.
Despite working out furiously in the gym, he was drinking harder than ever. ‘There was a lot of stuff,’ he told GQ magazine in 2019. ‘I spent a lot of time drinking to escape the crazy world that I had created for myself. I was getting into really bad, bad situations. And I hit a peak moment where I knew the drinking was going to get me.’
For a whole year, he abstained from alcohol and relied solely on cigarettes as his occasional indulgence, yet he discovered no tranquility in being sober. In essence, he lamented that his social life drastically declined during this period, making him the most secluded individual on Earth.
In 2021, he confided in Steven Bartlett, a Dragon’s Den personality and podcaster, that he had contemplated taking his own life. He acknowledged, “You wouldn’t have suspected it. I’m quite skilled at concealing it.” He further explained, “I was concerned about how deep my rock bottom would go. It was extremely severe.
During the lockdown period, he secluded himself entirely, often spending extended periods of time watching Netflix by himself while sipping drinks on the couch. Due to restrictions, he couldn’t meet his four-year-old son Bear in person. Instead, they communicated through video calls on his phone, with him making an effort to speak clearly without slurring his words.
He mentioned that he had gained a significant amount of weight. This was due to his poor dietary choices. There were several photos of him looking puffed up. He affectionately referred to this phase as his “meds-and-alcohol” look. Simply put, he didn’t feel very fond of himself during that time.
In June 2022, he confided to podcast host Logan Paul that tensions within the band 1D were so intense at times that they could almost erupt into physical altercations. He recalled an instance where one of his bandmates had become so enraged that he grabbed him and forcefully pushed him against a wall.
1 Direction’s fans continue to show intense, though sometimes conflicting, allegiances, frequently admiring certain members while fiercely criticizing others. An instance of his criticism sparked such anger that he was compelled to issue an apology, explaining that his words were poorly chosen.
With accusations of stalking and excessive behavior continually haunting him, along with his confessions about violent arguments and substance abuse casting a dark shadow over his history, all that remained for Liam Payne was the most bitter, unsavory fragments of his celebrity status.
Whatever he thought he wanted when he first appeared on The X Factor, it wasn’t this.
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2024-10-17 15:09