I'm Liam Payne's close friend and he lacked one crucial thing before his death

The Wolverhampton singer, who is a West Bromwich Albion fan, "lacked a sense of belonging" according to close pal Ant Middleton.

A Liam Payne close friend has spoken out over how the 31-year-old lacked a "sense of belonging" before his death aged 31. The Wolverhampton singer, who is a West Bromwich Albion fan, "lacked a sense of belonging" according to close pal Ant Middleton.

Channel 4 star Ant has opened up on his "shock" following the popstar's tragic death. The ex SAS: Who Dares Wins star, 44, formed a close bond with the dad of one, 31, during show Straight Talking, released in 2019, five years ago.

He said of his death: "I was just shocked, I was lost for words. He was such a positive, outgoing guy who I believe lacked a sense of belonging when he left the band. When we did our special together in Namibia I could relate to that.

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"When I left the military, I lost my sense of being, and when he left the band we had a great conversation about how that identity is lost and how we re-identify ourselves and re-establish ourselves. And we became very close after that."

Ant added: "We built that brotherly bond together. He would call me and within an hour we would be at his house and talking through things. But I mean what a loss, what a tragic loss." TV presenter Dermot O’Leary has recalled Payne auditioning for The X Factor as a 14-year-old boy, as he paid tribute to the singer following his death.

O’Leary, who hosted The X Factor during both of Payne’s appearances, shared a photograph of the pair on stage, captioning the Instagram post: “The worst news”. He wrote: "I remember him as a 14-year-old turning up to audition on The X Factor, and blowing us away singing Sinatra. He just loved to sing.

"He was always a joy, had time for everyone, polite, grateful, and was always humble."