Details of Liam Payne’s troubled relationship with ex-fiancée Maya Henry have surfaced four months after his death in October 2024. Allegations regarding the former One Direction member’s behavior and struggles during their on-and-off relationship from 2018 to 2022 are highlighted in a Rolling Stone cover story published Tuesday.
Multiple sources have revealed to the magazine that Payne, who passed away at 31, allegedly struggled privately with his sexuality. According to the insiders, the singer sent sexually explicit messages to other men while he and Henry were dating. These revelations have added a new layer to the complex and tumultuous relationship between the pair.
Henry, 25, reportedly discovered Payne’s secret sexting when he accidentally broadcast the messages to their television. Further claims from sources indicate that Payne, in an effort to control Henry’s decisions, allegedly forced her to terminate a pregnancy in 2020. One source described a heated conversation in which Payne allegedly gave Henry an ultimatum: either get an abortion and stay with him or raise the child alone with no support from him.
“He sent Maya a long message saying it’s either get an abortion and stay with him, or raise the kid alone, and he will not acknowledge either of them,” the source claimed. This was particularly shocking to Henry, as Payne had previously expressed a desire to start a family, and the couple had been trying for a child.
The model later confirmed her abortion in her 2024 novel Looking Forward, which she said was “inspired by” her relationship with Payne. In the book, Henry’s character, Mallory, goes through a similar experience. During a May 2024 interview, Henry revealed that she faced medical complications following the procedure and had to go to the hospital alone, though she did not specify when the abortion occurred.
In addition to these allegations, the Rolling Stone report also included troubling accounts of physical violence. Sources claim that Payne pushed Henry down a flight of stairs and chased her with an axe during their turbulent relationship. In a statement to the magazine, Henry expressed the depth of her feelings for Payne despite the abuse. “I loved him very much,” she said, acknowledging the challenges of loving someone struggling with addiction. “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 also admitted to ignoring “red flags” during their time together, putting herself in harmful and unsafe situations. However, she clarified that she did not blame Payne for his struggles, emphasizing the complex nature of their relationship.
Following their breakup in 2022, Henry made headlines by sending Payne a cease-and-desist letter after he allegedly sent unsolicited, disturbing images and videos to her and her loved ones. By this time, Payne had moved on to a relationship with Kate Cassidy, who was with him in Argentina shortly before his death.
In October 2024, Payne tragically fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires. Cassidy, who had returned home to the U.S. alone, was reportedly not with him at the time of the incident. Payne’s death has sparked ongoing investigations, with five individuals charged in connection to the incident, according to court documents obtained by Page Six in December 2024.
The recent revelations shed light on the darker side of Payne’s personal life, highlighting the emotional and physical toll his struggles with addiction, sexuality, and relationships took on those close to him. His relationship with Maya Henry, in particular, appears to have been fraught with both affection and pain, leaving a complicated legacy in its wake.
