Little Mix alum Perrie Edwards—who was previously engaged to One Direction’s Zayn Malik—shared her first reaction to Liam Payne’s death after reading the devastating news.
For Perrie Edwards, Liam Payne’s death hits close to home.
After the One Direction member fell from the balcony of his Argentina hotel at 31, the Little Mix alum reflected on his tragic death and the impact on his family, including his ex Cheryl Cole and their 7-year-old son Bear.
“It just feels weird,” Perrie explained during the Oct. 28 episode of the Happy Place podcast. “It’s just so sad. It’s so heartbreaking and my heart honestly hurts for his family, his friends, Cheryl and his little boy. It’s just absolutely devastating. I can’t even imagine how they must be feeling right now. I didn’t think it was real when I read it.”
The 31-year-old recalled that she and the Little Mix members—including Jade Thirlwall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and previously Jesy Nelson—immediately contacted each other when they heard the news.
“Us girls were messaging,” she continued. “Our careers were very aligned. We had a relationship with them. It’s honestly so sad. It made my body feel weird when I saw the headlines. I was like, ‘That can’t be real.’”
The girl group was formed on The X Factor U.K. in 2011 and won the season after One Direction took home third place. However, Perrie was also personally involved in the boyband when she dated and was late engaged to Zayn Malik for four years before breaking up in 2015.
For many, Liam’s unexpected death earlier this month sparked a conversation surrounding addiction and fame. And the “Forget About Us” singer had reflected on it in her therapy sessions.
“We were talking about the whole situation,” Perrie—mom to son Axel, 3, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain—said. “I think it’s really important for people to look at things like humans and say, ‘Why did they get to this place? Why are they struggling so much? What is it that causes them to feel this way in the public eye?’ I don’t think people in this industry are looked after enough.”
“They’re put on a pedestal,” she continued. “They get brought up and they’re like this god and then everybody jumps on this bandwagon of like, ‘Yeah, let’s tear them down. It’s like a fun thing to do.’ It’s not fun. These people are human. They bleed the same.”
It was also a topic that Liam’s sisters Ruth Gibbons and Nicola Payne also touched on during their heartbreaking tributes.
“This cruel world is always too quick to judge someone,” Nicola, 36, wrote on Instagram Oct. 21. “They think it entitles them to be able to speak like they know you. We knew you and we loved you. I hope you have finally found peace up there and you’ll continue to look after us all as you have done in life.”
Ruth also emphasized the “Strip That Down” singer’s kindness amid his struggles with alcohol addiction and mental health battles.
“I don’t feel this world was good enough or kind enough to you, and quite often over the last few years, you’ve had to really try hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you,” the 33-year-old wrote. “You just wanted to be loved and to make people happy with your music.”
