Scott Mills fights back tears during Liam Payne tribute and says 'never thought'

The BBC Radio 2 star said he would "never forget" the time he spent with the former One Direction star

Scott Mills fought back tears as he spoke about Liam Payne's tragic death, which he said was "really hard one to take in". The BBC Radio 2 star said he would "never forget" the time he spent with the former One Direction star and added: "Thank you for letting me be part of your ride."

The DJ became emotional as he began his show on Thursday afternoon, less than 24-hours after Liam died at an Argentinian hotel. He said: "I couldn't start today's show without acknowledging the awful news we've had overnight. The tragic news about Liam Payne is a really hard one to take in, because I never thought we would have to say goodbye to him so soon."

Scott said he'd had "so much fun" with the father-of-one and his One Direction bandmates over the years, adding they were "memories that will stay with me for life". He continued: "Liam was such a big part of it. I saw all of them so much back then. One of my old colleagues at Radio 1 texted me this morning to check in and see if I was alright, and kind of joked that for a period of time, I was almost the sixth member. It did feel a bit like that. We were all together so often, but I'm still finding it really hard to believe today."

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Acknowledging that Liam's father, Geoff, regularly tuned into the show, he said: "I don't know if you're hearing this, but my heart goes out to you today, and to the rest of Liam's family, and, of course, to his little boy." Scott was visibly choked up as he continued: "And I just feel so incredibly sad about all of this, Liam, we had so much fun. You were always the kindest, most caring person to me, and thank you for letting me be part of your ride. I will never forget it.

"The band were all so lovely, always, but Liam was kind of the the grown up one in the group, the wise one. And I can't bear that this is where Liam's story has ended."

Liam's family released a statement earlier today, which said: “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul."