Adrian Chiles sent football fans into a frenzy yesterday after he was pictured wearing a West Bromwich Albion coat to the funeral of Liam Payne.
Payne, 31, was sadly killed after falling from the third floor of his Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, sparking sadness across the world. The One Direction star is suspected to have consumed drugs and alcohol in the lead-up to his fatal death.
Plenty of superstars attended the service in Wolverhampton, which included Simon Cowell, Harry Styles and Niall Horan, but Chiles himself hit the headlines, with his Baggies merch grabbing the attention of football fans online. Here FourFourTwo delves into the pair's touching relationship...
Liam Payne and Adrian Chiles bonded over their love for West Bromwich Albion
Payne and Chiles shared a love of the Baggies, so much so, they formed a bond at the Hawthorns and often chatted about their beloved West Brom.
It now makes sense that former ITV Sport host Chiles wore his West Brom coat to the service, acting as a touching reminder that football can, and still does, bring people together from all different walks of life.
Chiles, 57, has previously spoken about how the sport brought him and Payne together. "I got to know him when he first did X Factor," he told press. "He came up to me and said 'up the Albion' - he was a West Brom fan.
"Just as a sign as to how massive he was, I remember we snuck him into a Boxing Day game and I think his mum and dad came and sat with me."
"But we managed to secrete our man up in the commentary gantry so he didn't get bothered," added Chiles during his touching memoir. "Then a friend of mine texted me to ask 'Why are West Brom trending number one on Twitter?'.
"I went, ‘Well it could be because Liam Payne is here and he tweeted he was here and the whole world went mad for it.'"
West Brom's official channels also shared their own message of condolence, to a man who was always up to date with everything involving the Baggies.
"We’re shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician Liam Payne," wrote West Brom's media team on X. "Our thoughts are with Liam’s family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time."
