
Liam always gave the best hugs. He was a huge hugger. The last time I saw him, he came bounding up to me and my wife Emma, “Hey, how are you guys?” full of big, warm cuddles. It had been a little while since we’d last seen him, but it was as if it was just 10 minutes ago. Or when we were back in the studio at Wembley about to watch him perform on TV.
He was always exactly the same, no matter how long it had been. I knew Liam for 15 years and he hadn’t changed at all from the sweet 16-year-old we all first met at The X Factor. He was an angel.
It’s all so surreal he’s no longer with us, a terrible nightmare. As a family, we are completely devastated.
When I first met Liam and the One Direction boys, they were babies, just teenagers. I was reporting on the show for Heart Radio, so Emma and I were backstage every Saturday and Sunday night. Most of the boys in the band would love to be in Louis [Walsh]’s dressing room, which is where we all hung out, then they would run through the corridors to Simon’s dressing room.
The X Factor was at its zenith, 20 million people watching it every weekend. Liam was nervous about the live shows, yet he was really determined. He was always very quiet, but polite, asking me for advice — because everybody wanted to please Simon. And that’s the thing about him, he always wanted to be better.
After one of Liam’s first auditions, Simon had said he wanted to see a bit more from him and I think that set him on some sort of mission. So after each performance, he wanted to know what I thought or what Emma thought.
As the weeks went on and their star began to rise, Liam didn’t change. He spoke to every fan who approached him, because he was so grateful to be in the position he was. It was what he always wanted. It was a dream coming true for him.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 28, 2024 من OK! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 28, 2024 من OK! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول

MARK AND MICHELLE WELCOME BABY PALMA
New parents Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are set to step back from work to enjoy precious time with their daughter

'Sex in my twenties was just going to the pub and sleeping with someone'
After reminiscing, Lily Allen is adamant she will never return to her wild days following her split from husband David Harbour

STYLE ICON SJP'S BIG BIRTHDAY
As Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker enters her seventh decade, we learn how she became a trendsetter of the noughties and beyond

THE PATHWAY TO CLEAR SKIN
Adult acne is not just tricky to tackle, it can lead to depression. Take control by discovering what you can do to ease your suffering

CANINE COMFORTS
There's no need to leave your pet behind on your next getaway – just book into one of these fabulous dog-friendly UK hotels

'I don't hide things- Roman knows what I've been through'
Martin and Roman Kemp talk to OK! about their close bond and the 'morbid' reason Roman likes working with his dad

EMBRACING THE MAYHEM
As Lady Gaga releases her first album in five years, OK! looks back at her glittering career

'I was a rotter in Gavin & Stacey – they're great to play'
Actress Laura Aikman on reprising her role in the much-loved show, filming a bad girl character for new drugs drama This City Is Ours and getting away from it all in the Himalayas

'The stronger I am, the better I feel'
Love Island winner Gabby Allen exclusively tells OK! about her health issues and opens up about the tragic death of her father

KATE JOINS COMMONWEALTH DAY CELEBRATIONS
A year on from announcing her cancer diagnosis, the Princess of Wales is greeted by well-wishers as she attends the annual service at Westminster Abbey