Kate Cassidy, who was previously romantically linked to the late Liam Payne, has expressed readiness to re-enter the dating scene, a year following his tragic passing. Despite recent sensational claims from a drug dealer alleging an ‘intimate’ encounter with Payne, Cassidy remains focused on moving forward, according to information shared with the Daily Mail.

The 26-year-old Cassidy faced a challenging period marked by depression after Payne, known globally as part of the iconic boy band One Direction, died in a heartbreaking incident. He fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16, 2024. A subsequent toxicology report indicated that Payne had alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system at the time of his death.

A close friend of Cassidy revealed that she is now gradually recovering and looking to embrace life once more. “There were many days when a smile seemed impossible for her,” the friend shared, underscoring her journey toward healing.

Despite being surrounded by swirling rumors and reports about Payne’s passing, Cassidy is reportedly distancing herself from the noise, including allegations from Payne’s circle suggesting she is causing distress to his family. “She’s spending time with friends and is open to dating, although she’s not rushing into anything,” the friend explained. “There was a time she was definitely struggling, but she’s improving now.”

The source added that Cassidy is not paying attention to gossip and new reporting surrounding Payne’s death, including allegations from his friends that she is tormenting his family.

‘She’s hanging out with friends and she’s open to dating again, although she’s not quite there yet,’ the source said. ‘There was a point where she was definitely not okay, but she’s getting better now.’ 

The friend detailed Cassidy’s dark days after Payne’s death, which made headlines around the world and sparked a period of mourning from his global legion of fans.

‘There were months where I literally didn’t see her smile, and I was seeing her every day,’ the friend told the Daily Mail. ‘It was so concerning, she didn’t even seem like herself. She canceled a lot of hangouts and just was almost a recluse.’ 

But now, the source said Cassidy is doing much better – adding she is back to posting fun-loving pictures on Instagram and seeing her friends. 

‘She’s moving forward now,’ the friend said. ‘She knows it’s what he would have wanted.’

Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy is open to dating again a year after his death – and is ignoring bombshell allegations from a male drug dealer that he had an ‘intimate’ night with the One Direction singer, the Daily Mail can reveal 

Cassidy, 26, has opened up about the mental health struggles she’s suffered since Payne’s death

Cassidy baked a birthday cake from scratch to celebrate what would have been Payne’s 32nd birthday in August

According to court records, 25-year-old Braian Nahuel Paiz, who worked as a server at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, admitted providing Payne with cocaine, but denied accepting money for the drug.

Paiz told the Daily Mail last week that he spent several hours in bed with the One Direction star on the day before he died. 

He did not elaborate on what they did together, but insisted that they did not have sex.

Cassidy, who left Argentina two days before Payne’s death, is ignoring Paiz’s claims and allegedly won’t address them to her friends. 

‘Kate doesn’t pay any attention to them,’ her friend said. ‘She knows what she and Liam had, and that it was very, very good. Whatever happened that day doesn’t change the love and respect of her relationship with Liam.

‘She doesn’t know what happened after she left Argentina, but it doesn’t change how she feels about Liam. Whatever that guy says happened, it doesn’t affect her, so she’s ignoring it.’

Cassidy’s friend says she is not paying attention to gossip and new reporting surrounding Payne’s death, including claims from an Argentinian drug dealer that he had an ‘intimate’ night with the singer 

Cassidy recently opened up about her mental state after Payne’s death. 

‘I was always just kind of doing nothing and just dealing with that grief and pain,’ she told Page Six at a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) benefit on October 6, adding she was ‘just not wanting to really live my life.’

She said that, after several weeks, ‘I finally realized, “Ok, I need to live my life, I need to get up, get out of bed.”‘

Cassidy said she started by setting an alarm every day, pushing her out of bed one hour earlier each time.

She then began ‘working out,’ ‘eating clean’ and living her life not only for herself, but for Payne.

Still, Cassidy has faced some backlash for some of her carefree Instagram posts. After posting a reel last week of herself being hoisted on the shoulders of two men, many Payne fans attacked her for being insensitive. 

Cassidy says that regular exercise and a healthy diet has helped her manage her depression after Liam’s death 

‘I think that doing this type of content does not speak well of you,’ one user commented. ‘It has been almost a year since we lost your boyfriend, and for my taste, this is not good.’ 

‘She has bounced back real quick,’ another user commented, while a third just wrote, ‘disrespectful.’ 

But Cassidy’s friend told the Daily Mail that those close to the couple were happy to see her posting upbeat content. 

‘This is her starting to smile again,’ the friend said. ‘This is the old Kate coming back. She knows, and everyone who knew Liam knows, this is what he’d want for her.’