Ex-SAS star Ant Middleton emotionally says Liam Payne ‘was like a younger brother to me’ - after star's shock death
Former SAS: Who Dares Wins host Ant Middleton said he “formed a brotherhood” with Liam Payne after they filmed a documentary together in 2019. The ex-Special Forces soldier described the former One Direction singer as “a good friend of mine” after the pair journeyed through Namibia for the programme Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking.
Ant said during a live interview on Australia’s The Morning Show that it was “the first time hearing” of Liam’s death at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. “After we filmed Straight Talking With Ant Middleton, he was my first celebrity guest and we formed a brotherhood,” Ant told hosts Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur.
“He was like a younger brother to me. He would confide in me, I’d go around and see him. There were some issues there, but nothing that a young celebrity at his calibre wouldn’t suffer from. I’m just shocked at the moment, wow, don’t really know what to say.”
Ant said Liam “had a lovely aura around him”, describing him as a “lovely guy”. “He had positive energy around him,” the 44-year-old said. "He was a visionary, he always thought and dreamed big, and that’s why he got to where he was, and he was loved. He was one of those band members that was the glue, I believe, was the glue for One Direction, and it’s a shame to see such a positive individual die so young.”
Ant added that he was away filming but wanted to “find out what’s happened to my good friend”. The star also appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning to pay tribute to Liam. He told Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway that Liam's death is "a tragic loss". He said: "I was just shocked, I was lost for words to be honest. He was such a positive outgoing guy who I believed just lacked a sense of belonging when he left the band.
"And when we did our special together in Namibia I could relate with that because when I left the military I sort of lost my sense of belonging. We had a great conversation on how that sense of belonging is lost and we try and re-identify ourselves and re-establish ourselves and we became very, very close after that and he would call me. I only lived about an hour away from him so I'd jump in a car and go to his and we'd have lunch and spend some evenings together and we just build that brotherly bond together."
Ant went on to describe how "focused" Liam was when he was training for Soccer Aid when he was captain for the England team, which Ant described as his "new belonging" after One Direction. "I believe once those things left him he was looking for something again. It was sad to see him bumping his head against a brick wall sometimes."
Ant described how Liam loved painting and was "incredible" at painting and drawing and wanted to get into that but was "jumping" from things. "There was talk always of getting the boy band back together and when there was talk of that he lit up, his face lit up - that really was his belonging and I believe his safe haven."
Ant also described Liam as a "proud dad" to son Bear with Cheryl Cole. "When he spoke about Bear his face lit up and I was privy to photos he showed me."
