Ant Middleton describes Liam Payne's death as a 'tragic loss' as he pays tribute to 'little brother'

Former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton has paid tribute to Liam Payne, the ex-One Direction singer, following his untimely death at 31.

The two struck up a close friendship while filming a documentary, with Ant considering Liam akin to a "little brother". In the wake of the sad news, Ant joined Good Morning Britain live from Australia where he was appearing on TV about his latest documentary when he had received the news.

In conversation with Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway, he described Liam's passing as "a tragic loss". He said: "I was just shocked, I was lost for words to be honest. He was such a positive outgoing guy who I believed just lacked a sense of belonging when he left the band."

Reflecting on their shared experiences during their documentary special in Namibia, Ant related to Liam's search for purpose post-fame, stating: "And when we did our special together in Namibia I could relate with that because when I left the military I sort of lost my sense of belonging. We had a great conversation on how that sense of belonging is lost and we try and re-identify ourselves and re-establish ourselves and we became very, very close after that and he would call me. I only lived about an hour away from him so I'd jump in a car and go to his and we'd have lunch and spend some evenings together and we just built that brotherly bond together."

He also discussed Liam's dedication as captain for the England team at Soccer Aid, portraying it as the late star's newfound place of connection: "Ant went on to describe how 'focused' Liam was when he was training for Soccer Aid when he was captain for the England team, which Ant described as his 'new belonging' after One direction," reports the Mirror.

"I believe once those things left him he was looking for something again. It was sad to see him bumping his head against a brick wall sometimes."

Ant recounted how Liam had a passion for art, remarking that he was "incredible" at painting and drawing and wanted to pursue it, but was "jumping" from one thing to another. "There was talk always of getting the boy band back together and when there was talk of that he lit up, his face lit up - that really was his belonging and I believe his safe haven."

Ant highlighted Liam's devotion as a father, noting that when speaking about his son Bear with Cheryl Cole, "his face lit up".

Liam died after falling from a balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday around 5pm local time.

Ant and Liam met at the opening of Mark Wahlberg's Wahlburgers establishment in Covent Garden, London. Their subsequent collaboration on a television documentary paved the way for extensive and openhearted exchanges regarding fatherhood, alcohol, and relationships.

Good Morning Britain is on ITV1 weekdays at 6am and on ITVX