Liam Payne’s Ex-Fiancée Maya Henry Breaks Silence Nearly Four Months After His Tragic Death

Nearly four months after the One Direction singer tragically died on Oct. 16, Henry, who whom he dated on-and-off between 2018 and 2022, opened up about their relationship for the first time in a statement to  Rolling Stone.

“While I loved him deeply, he did things that hurt me in ways I’ll never fully understand, and he continued to hurt me years after we broke up,” Henry told the outlet in the feature, published Tuesday. “On drugs, he became someone unrecognizable — so different from his sober self.”

“I kept hoping each incident would be a wake-up call for him to get help, but it never was. I tried to be there for him. I loved him so much that I convinced myself I could fix things,” she added of their turbulent relationship.

The 25-year-old also shared insight into what led to the couple’s final breakup in 2022, following an engagement two years prior, telling Rolling Stone she “stood by him in his darkest moments.”

“Initially, it was the drug use and addictions that tore us apart,” she explained. “Anyone who has been with an addict understands how difficult that is.”

The aftermath of the breakup was equally as difficult with Henry telling the outlet she was left with only “emptiness” when they parted ways.

“The love I gave, the sacrifices I made — they weren’t enough because they never could be,” she added. “I wasn’t just heartbroken; I felt defrauded, as so many women in my position would. But what I do know is this: It wasn’t about me or anything I did. It was about struggles beyond my control. And in the end, I had to choose myself. I had to walk away, no matter how much it hurt, because staying in his world meant losing myself.”

Payne, who died after a 40-foot fall from a hotel balcony in Bueno Aires, Argentina, did not hide his struggles with alcohol and drug use, even sharing he had a 100-day rehab stint in 2023.

A toxicology report obtained by TMZ following his October death revealed that the 31-year-old singer — who shared 7-year-old son, Bear, with ex Cheryl Cole — died from injuries sustained in his fall with alcohol, cocaine, and a prescribed antidepressant in his system.

Henry is the latest to speak out following the aftermath Payne’s death. With Kate Cassidy, who had been dating Payne for about two years and was vacationing with him for several days leading up to his death, also opened up about the devastating loss, telling The Sun despite Payne’s on-and-off struggles with drugs and alcohol, the singer was in “such a good headspace” when she left Argentina prior to his death.

“We were in such a great place, just full of love; he was so happy and positive,” Cassidy told the outlet. “And I just can’t even believe the way things truly ended.”

She continued, “Obviously if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina. I never, ever thought this event would occur.”