How Liam Payne’s heartbroken girlfriend Kate Cassidy is returning to the spotlight with blowdry videos & LA pals

FOUR months after losing the love of her life Kate Cassidy has returned to social media as she begins to navigate life without Liam Payne.

But her attempt to regain some normality following the tragic accident has seen vile trolls accuse her of “never loving Liam at all”.

@katecass / instagram

Shortly after Liam Payne’s death Kate Cassidy posted a touching tribute on her Instagram page[/caption]

Kate has appeared in other influencers’ videos doing unboxing interviewsTikTok/@kateecass

TikTok/@kateecass

She has also posted on her own account with the rescue dog she shared with Liam[/caption]

One Direction fans took offence at a video showing her new haircut

The influencer, 25, had been dating the One Direction star, 31, for two years before he plunged to his death off a hotel balcony in Argentina – just days after she had returned to their shared home in Florida.

Liam had stayed in Argentina while Kate returned home to care for their foster dog Nala.

She was trolled following his death with claims that she abandoned him before the tragic accident.

Kate decided to share her devastation at the singer’s death with The Sun in an exclusive interview.

She said: “Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end. Obviously, if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina.”

Vile comments

Kate, who was a waitress when she met the One Direction star, became an influencer when she realised a normal job was not possible if the romance was to work – and now has 2.5million followers across social media platforms.

Thanks to her large following, she is often tagged by businesses she uses – like her hairdresser.

In a video posted last week by Sniptease, Kate was seen having her hair done and posing to show off the results.

But the innocuous clip was flooded with vile comments suggesting Kate didn’t care about Liam’s death.

One callous comment said “we need justice, in contrast to you” referencing the arrests that took place after Liam’s death.

Supplied

The video that caused controversy was of Kate getting a new hairdo[/caption]

Getty

Fans accused her of moving on too quickly from Liam’s death in October[/caption]

And the vitriol directed at grieving Kate is also seen on her own social media pages.

Relationship psychologist Jo Hemmings said: “The problem is she won’t be able to do right for doing wrong when it comes to social media.

“She will still be grieving for him almost four months on, but may feel she doesn’t need to show it on social media. Fans should accept that.

“But they want someone to blame and, like in most celebrity deaths, it’s easier to blame the partner.

“Influencing is her job and being in these videos is slowly returning to that.”

Supportive pals

Kate’s pals have rallied around her while trying to keep her spirits upTikTok/@tiffanyhenriquesfit

The girls have only created wholesome content togetherTikTok/@tiffanyhenriquesfit

She has also been criticised for appearing in a series of TikTok videos with her friends and fellow influencers that show her happy and having fun.

The day after Valentine’s Day, she appeared in an unboxing video with pals Tiffany Henriques and Ali D opening up a charm for their phones.

In it, she is seen smiling and giggling with the other girls as they open the Sonny Angels which have angel wings on the back.

Underneath, vile trolls accused Kate of getting over Liam’s death “quickly” saying, “you wouldn’t think her partner had just died”.

Kate appeared in another unboxing video with Tiffany and another where they make dinner for a girls’ night in, in February.

The girls are also seen making sleep mocktails together as part of a girls’ night. Where, despite all the smiles, it can be seen that Kate still appears to be struggling with her grief.

Jo commented: “It’s all very wholesome and fans need to remember that social media is Kate’s job. She has to return at some point.

“She’s being supported by her pals and you can see that she is still sad.

“Her friends are doing the classic thing of trying to keep her distracted and not referencing Liam in the hopes it won’t upset her.

“And the public should look at what she’s doing in relation to how they’d expect their friends and family to behave.

“After three to four months, people are encouraged to go back to work, and for her, work is public facing.”

Learning to grieve

TikTok/@kateecass

Kate posted a video of her and Nala together announcing she’d adopted the dog[/caption]

Dan Charity

Keeping the pooch close will be helping Kate to grieve, Jo said[/caption]

Relationship psychologist Jo Hemmings said: “It’s natural for people to process grief in different ways and at their own pace.

“Kate moving on or starting to share other aspects of her life on social media after the death of Liam certainly doesn’t mean she’s forgotten or isn’t grieving — it could be a sign that she’s beginning to heal and find ways to live with the loss.

“Public grieving can be complicated, especially under the scrutiny of social media. Moving on (or appearing to) might be a healthy step toward rebuilding her life but it’s also important to remember that what people share online is only a small window into their actual feelings.

“Everyone navigates loss differently — some people find comfort in sharing memories publicly, while others prefer to keep their grief private and gradually re-engage with other parts of life.”

In the first post on her own account that is not directly about Liam’s death, she is seen cuddling Nala outside their shared home, and it’s captioned “from foster to forever”.

She’s added Sparks by Coldplay over the video, which features the lyrics “I promise you this. I’ll always look out for you.”

Fans flocked to comment on the post, which has been viewed 9.2million times, sharing their love and belief that Liam left Nala to care for her.

Others thanked her for giving them Liam content throughout their relationship and bringing them closer to the musician.

However, cruel trolls posted vile comments questioning if she’d ever “looked out” for Liam.

Commenting on the video, Jo said: “It’s a way of showing her grief, because Nala has become even more important since Liam’s death – like pets do for many people.

“It’s a really sweet way of acknowledging Liam without doing it in an explicit way.”

Moving on

Kate made a tribute to Liam in one video showing her making two mugs for teaTikTok/@kateecass

She showed herself journaling as well as doing her skincare routineTikTok/@kateecass

In her following post, on the 13th January, Kate returned to posting about her daily life, captioning her video “A Simple Day”.

The 39-second clip showed her going to the gym, walking the dog and preparing two cups of tea before making just one.

She also featured a candle with the letters 444 which is considered an Angel number and is said to signify protection and encouragement from the spiritual realm.

It’s a number that has taken on significance for Kate, as she and Liam would write it on notes to each other before his death.

Commenting on Kate moving back to her previous style of posting, Jo said: “She has to move on and the first way most people do that is in their public persona. And there is nothing wrong with that.

“This one about her day still features nods to Liam with two cups of tea and the candle. But she can’t do that forever, she can’t keep focusing on her grief.

“It shows that she’s not clubbing or going crazy. She’s making the point that she’s looking after herself. People are able to see she is looking after herself.

“It’s wholesome, inoffensive content that allows her to decide her next move.”

Reaching out to fans

Just before Valentine’s Day she posted an emotional video thanking fans for their supportTikTok/@kateecass

TikTok/@tiffanyhenriquesfit

She has appeared in friends’ social media regularly since the start of 2025[/caption]

Dan Charity

Jo says Kate will feel responsibility to thank fans on Liam’s behalf[/caption]

Kate’s most recent TikTok is much more emotional than the previous two, as she addressed her fans and their support since losing Liam four months prior.

The one minute 30 second clip was posted just three days before Valentine’s Day, which was likely to be a difficult day for the influencer.

Jo commented: “The recent TikTok videos show Kate’s journey in her grief. She was visibly upset and distressed in her video, talking about her loss and the loss that others must be feeling – and it was really moving.

“It’s not long before Valentine’s Day and even if they didn’t celebrate it, it’s a time we all think about our loved ones.

“And it’s not long after the interview with The Sun where she will have felt incredibly vulnerable, putting everything out there about her relationship with Liam.

“The video reiterated that she loved Liam unconditionally and how much it all meant to her. For her, the interview and this post might be cathartic for her and mark a point for her to start looking at life without him.”

With a shaking voice, Kate says in the video: “Thank you so much for all the love and support.”

She goes on to say: “This was a platform I used for fun with Liam and do the all silly little dances and do our little videos together. I’m so glad I have those memories and that I was able to share that side of our relationship with the world.

“I wish Liam was here to see the amount of love and support he’s received worldwide because it’s what he deserves and what he would have wanted. I’m not the only one grieving right now.

“He impacted so many of you guys, and he really did love his fans.”

Heartbreaking tribute

Instagram

She also addressed her struggles with returning to social media without Liam[/caption]

instagram

Kate shared a series of photos and videos two months after Liam’s tragic death[/caption]

Kate shared in an interview with The Sun how much she loved Liam

Before returning to post more lighthearted comments, Kate had marked Liam’s passing with two tributes to him on different social media platforms.

In her first posts after his death, Kate posted two different touching tributes to Liam on Instagram and TikTok.

The TikTok featured videos of them being silly together, as well as solo footage of Liam messing around and some of the notes he’d written her.

Analysing the video, Jo said: “It’s been a way for her to acknowledge that she is sharing this grief with millions of fans across the world.

“It’s allowed her to show how their relationship was, especially the good bits. It shows to fans just how much she misses him.

“In a way, that first post back is a way of her doing something on Liam’s behalf, but it can’t stay like that.”

So while her ‘fun’ posts with pals and her blowdry video mark a return to the ‘day job’, Kate’s more emotional messages clearly show she is still caught in the grip of grief.

Getty

Kate is treading a difficult line with her grief and public persona[/caption]

TikTok/@tiffanyhenriquesfit

Jo says fans will never be happy with whatever Kate does following Liam’s death[/caption]