Former SAS: Who Dares Wins host Ant Middleton says Liam Payne “lacked a sense of belonging” and felt “lost” after One Direction’s split as he reflected on their friendship following the singer’s death.
The two first met while working together on the 2019 documentary Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking.
The Strip That Down singer died aged 31 on Wednesday evening after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
The ex-Special Forces soldier, 44, was devastated to learn of his friend’s tragic passing during a live interview on Australia’s The Morning Show.
Speaking on Thursday’s Good Morning Britain, Middleton praised Payne for being “such a positive, outgoing guy”, adding that he believed Payne “lacked a sense of belonging when he left the band”.
He said that he could relate to the Wolverhampton-born star as he too “lost a sense of belonging” when he left the military.
He said: “When we did our special together in Namibia I could relate to that.
“When I left the military, I lost my sense of being, and when he left the band we had a great conversation about how that identity is lost and how we re-identify ourselves and re-establish ourselves.
“And we became very close after that.”
During the conversation with GMB hosts Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway, Middleton referred to Payne as his “little brother”.
He revealed that at one point, the two had lived just an hour away from each other and that they would spend many evenings together in which they would discuss their directions in life.
Middleton did not shy away from discussing the demons that Payne had faced, saying his pal had felt “lost” following One Direction’s decision to go on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
He explained: “If you don't focus enough on something or belonging then yeah, you do get lost. I felt that Liam had that sometimes.
“During Soccer Aid, I remember he phoned me up to come training with him and he was so focused, he was so dedicated because he was captain for the England team and I knew that was his new belonging.”
He continued: “[Liam] was so focused, and clean and he was doing so well, and I believe that once those sort of things left him, he was looking for something again. It's sad to see him bumping his head against a brick wall sometimes.”
Middleton later took to his own social media to pay tribute.
Alongside a slew of images of them together, including a selfie of them against a sunset, he penned: “That was some sunset you captured there mate! A talented positive man with a good heart. I’m glad our friendship flourished and that I was someone you could confine in. Your turn to look over me now bro! Luv ya and will miss you sorely… My sincere condolences to @liampayne family during these unimaginable times.”
