Liam Payne’s Family and Siblings: Up Close and Personal With the Former One Direction Star

Many will remember the 2010 X Factor with a loving bias and rose-tinted glasses. It would be the first time Liam Payne would capture the world’s attention. Although a 17-year-old Payne auditioned solo that year, he was eventually grouped with four others. Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik, all between the ages of sixteen to eighteen, joined the fray to form the scene for an entire generation – One Direction. 

This was, however, not Payne’s first dabble with the pop world. He was first introduced to the world of showbiz at age twelve appearing as Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever. One Direction’s rise, meanwhile, would be nothing short of meteoric.

For the former One Directioner, who recently ‘fell to his death’ from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, his family—particularly his siblings—remained the support on which such careers are possible to build.

A hard time relaxing and the early years of the Payne household

The youngest of three children, Liam Payne grew up in the Midlands in Wolverhampton – eventually even performing in front of a home crowd of 26,000 during a Wolverhampton Wanderers football match. He, however, throughout his life claimed to be a West Bromwich faithful. Born three weeks earlier than his due date, to Karen and Geoff Payne, a nurse and a fitter, Liam suffered frequent illnesses and spent much of his early life in and out of hospitals.

When Liam was four, doctors noticed that one of his kidneys was scarred, and to help cope with the pain, he had sixteen injections administered every morning and another round of sixteen in the evening – a whopping total of 32!

The 31-year-old, who was also diagnosed with adult ADHD, spoke publicly about his struggles with mental health as well, stating,

I think it’s an ongoing experience. For me, learning to relax has always been quite a hard thing to do because I feel like if I’m not moving forward, then I must be going backward. And I think that’s something that I’ve always struggled with.

He is survived by his parents, two older sisters, and his seven-year-old son, Bear.

Ruth and Nicola, from affection to support and everything in the middle 

Liam’s relationship with his parents was not only strengthened through this initial adversity with health but continued even after his parents’ separation. Perhaps this may be why he shared a special relationship with his two sisters, Ruth – the oldest of the Payne siblings, and Nicola – the middle. In addition to Ruth and Nicola, Liam has a half-brother named Oliver from his father’s side.

While less is publicly known about his relationship with Oliver or any other of his other siblings, Liam Payne occasionally mentions them in his interviews. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of sideline support at show here. From attending the premiere for his film One Direction: This Is Us, to attending his concerts – the two sisters have time and again stood behind the singer even after the band split in 2016.

After the news of Payne’s passing, Ruth put up her feelings on Instagram posting a photo of the three Payne siblings from 2012, captioning the photo “Siblings are your best friends for life.” A similar sentiment was echoed when Ruth shared that she would be “looking after these two forever.” on Siblings Day in April 2014.

Both of his sisters are also mothers. Ruth married her husband Thomas Gibbins in June 2016, and baby Ashton was born in October 2017, shortly after the birth of Payne’s son, Bear. In June 2020, Nicola and her partner Nick Farnell welcomed their daughter – Ffion. “I feel honored to be your mummy every single day and sometimes still can’t believe that this beautiful, funny, cheeky little girl is mine!!” wrote the star-sister on Instagram. 

Budding romances of a popstar

During his time in the limelight, Liam Payne, one of the most popular pop stars on the planet, had his fair share of romantic interactions. From 2010 to late 2012, Payne dated then-X Factor dancer Danielle Peazer. Their romance eventually faltered, and Payne started to date his childhood friend, Sophia Smith. 

In 2016, he started dating Cheryl Cole, his now ex-wife with whom he shares a son. Their relationship ended in 2018, and in early 2019, Payne seemed to have moved on with a coupling model and actress Naomi Campbell.

After a short love with Campbell, Payne began dating model Maya Henry in 2019 and the two were even engaged in August 2020. By June 2021, however, Payne and Henry had separated – a rather tumultuous relationship. What’s more the couple gave it a try again. They reunited that year and became engaged yet again.

In May 2022, however, the couple ended their engagement for the second time. Before his untimely death Payne’s ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, in a rather strange turn of events, was in the process of taking legal action against the singer before he tragically died in Buenos Aires. This is supposed to be about an agreement to continue their stay in the city.

Fatherhood and tribulations of being a ‘Young Dad’

Before this, in March 2017, Liam’s life saw several big changes. Coming off fresh from a split with One Direction, he became a father to his son, Bear, whom he shares with singer Cheryl Cole, 41, of Girls Aloud fame. Interestingly, when Payne first auditioned for the X Factor in 2008, Cheryl Cole was one of the judges.

A 14-year-old Liam wasn’t successful in his first attempt in 2008 but returned two years later to sow the seeds of One Direction. It, however, took around ten years for the pair’s friendship to turn romantic, and Payne only addressed their first meeting with Esquire in May 2020.

While he acknowledged he “always wanted to be a young dad,” a child at twenty-four would likely compel anyone to reflect on the values their parents instilled in them. And so he did apply those lessons in raising his son. (via Today)

“I had my son at a young age, and you think it will be a magical thing, that you’re going to grow up one day into the person you’re supposed to be. But it took a lot to find my footing. I figured, Dad takes care of everyone, that’s what he does,”

While doing so, he also admitted that his music career became tricky to handle initially.

I didn’t really expect that I’d ever be in this place. When I’m at home, I’m a dad. Then when I [work], I see all these crazy things.

Liam Payne’s family released a statement about the former One Direction star after he died in Argentina on Wednesday. “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul,” said the statement. “We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time,” it further read.

While much about his sudden passing remains shrouded in mystery, local police have confirmed that their investigation into his death is currently underway.