Members of One Direction today reunited for the first time since splitting up to bid an emotional farewell to their pal Liam Payne. Ex-bandmates Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32, were seen in public together for the first time in nine years as they paid respects to their ‘brother’ Liam, who he fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina last month.
The four singers arrived separately at the church earlier today as they joined friends and family of the 31-year-old in a poignant final send off.
Styles, dressed in black, pulled up to the funeral in a BMW. Horan attended with his girlfriend Amelia Woolley, while Malik arrived shortly after Tomlinson.
Malik was the first to quit One Direction in August 2015, citing ‘stress’, after withdrawing from the group’s world tour. The band officially announced its split in January 2016, breaking the hearts of millions of fans across the globe.
Girls Aloud member Cheryl Tweedy, who is the mother of Payne’s seven-year-old son Bear, was also in attendance along with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25, and One Direction creator Simon Cowell.
The former X-Factor judge had a heartfelt embrace with Payne’s parents Geoff and Karen as he sought to comfort them following their son’s tragic death.
Radio 2 Breakfast DJ Scott Mills, James Corden and Marvin and Rochelle Humes were also seen walking past floral displays showing bowling pins and a ball in a poignant reference to Payne’s love of bowling.