Ant Middleton say Liam Payne 'lost sense of belonging' as he pays tribute to 'little brother'

The former SAS: Who Dares Wins star paid tribute to Liam Payne on ITV's Good Morning Britain following his death at the age of 31

Former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton has paid tribute to former One Direction band member Liam Payne following his tragic death at the age of 31.

Ant, who became close to Payne after collaborating on a documentary, viewed him as a "little brother". Reacting to the heartbreaking news, he joined ITV's Good Morning Britain from Australia where he had earlier been taken aback by the news live on air whilst discussing his new documentary.

Speaking to hosts Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway, 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."

Describing their time filming in Namibia, Ant recalled how they bonded over shared experiences of seeking belonging after life-altering career changes. He said: "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."

Ant also reminisced about Liam's dedication while training for Soccer Aid as the England team captain, which he cited as Payne's "new belonging" post-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 shared that Liam had a passion for painting and drawing, describing him as "incredible" in these pursuits. He also mentioned how Liam would often contemplate reuniting the boy band, an idea that always brought a spark to his eyes.

"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."

In addition, Ant portrayed Liam as a "proud dad" to son Bear, whom he shares with Cheryl Cole. "When he spoke about Bear his face lit up and I was privy to photos he showed me."

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

The first meeting between Ant and Liam took place at the opening of Mark Wahlberg's Wahlburgers restaurant in Covent Garden, London. This led to them creating a TV documentary together, which involved deep, honest conversations about fatherhood, drinking, and relationships.

The pair embarked on this journey without a camera, cell phone, or fans.

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