Kate Cassidy has dropped a significant hint that she has found love with a new partner, nearly two years after the tragic death of her late boyfriend, Liam Payne. The 27-year-old influencer, who dated the former One Direction star for two years until his passing in October 2024, shared a TikTok video this week featuring a handsome man carrying her in his arms.
A Glimmer of New Love
Kate captioned the post with the words: 'I love having a crush,' and teased further on the video with the phrase 'When you know you know.' The video appears to mirror similar content she frequently posted with Liam, who often swept her off her feet in social media clips before his death.
Liam Payne died at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An autopsy revealed alcohol and cocaine in his system. Since his passing, Kate has been remarkably open about her grieving process, even admitting that she compares all potential partners to the late singer.
Fan Support and Encouragement
Fans were delighted to see Kate happy and smiling again after 20 months of mourning. Supportive messages flooded the comments section, with users writing: 'Happy for her honestly she deserves to move on and Liam loves his girl for staying strong,' 'I love this for you Kate!! Liam is smiling,' and 'I know Liam is happy for you. Go girl.' Others added: 'Kate can’t mourn Liam forever…neither him or us would want that…it’s hard to move on but you can’t stay in the past…Kate move on my lovely you deserve to feel happy and find love again,' and 'Liam is smiling for you and wishes you the best you deserve it.'
Heartbreaking Admission About Dating
Despite teasing her new romance, Kate recently shared a heartbreaking insight into her dating life, stating that no one could compare to Liam, whom she described as 'f*****g hot, funny, kind and generous.' She said: 'I compare literally everyone to my late partner, for anybody that's new here I lost my partner a year and a half ago and he kind of hit every single box on the checklist.'
She gave an example of a recent date where a friend joined her, and the man forced her friend to pay her own bill. 'I was icked out, Liam never did that, ever, some of these men are like pulling teeth,' she added.
Ready to Move Forward
Earlier in April, Kate playfully hinted at being ready to date again by posting a TikTok video in which she reached out to the network behind The Bachelorette, asking to be chosen for the show. She danced for the camera wearing sunglasses and wrote: 'Heard they're looking for a new Bachelorette.... hi,' with the caption 'hi abc.' Fans responded enthusiastically, saying they would watch the show for the first time if Kate starred, calling her a 'good match.'
Defending Her Right to Speak About Liam
Kate has also faced criticism for her social media posts about her relationship with Liam, with sources telling the Daily Mail that her posts were 'triggering,' 'distasteful,' and 'unhelpful.' Some felt she was trying to 'one-up' Liam's ex and the mother of his son, Bear, nine. In response, Kate hit back at an online troll who wished she would stop talking about Liam and move on.
She declared on TikTok: 'Let me tell you something, Liam Payne was my boyfriend. He wasn’t just this famous figure to me. It hurts so bad because I am just criticised all the time for speaking about my boyfriend that passed away, the person that I loved and still do love. I would never settle for anyone in this lifetime who did not feel comfortable enough with me speaking about Liam.'
She continued: 'Liam was a very big part of my life. He was my best friend, somebody I really thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with and, obviously, I know one day I'm going to have to move on. I want to get married one day. I want to have kids. When a person dies, they die twice, once when they actually die and the second time when you stop speaking about them. I'm not going to have Liam die twice on me. I will love him forever.'
