Are Kate Cassidy and Damian Hurley friends? Elizabeth Hurley's son seen supporting Liam Payne's girlfriend at the singer's funeral
Kate Cassidy, the American influencer and Liam Payne's girlfriend, attended his funeral yesterday, November 20. She was dressed in a long black fur-trimmed coat, paired with black trousers, black boots, and a pair of black sunglasses.
Cassidy was accompanied by her friend Damian Hurley at the funeral, who stayed close to her at the gathering. According to a Daily Mail report dated November 20, Hurley and Kate Cassidy are believed to have become friends through social media. The two follow each other on Instagram and have modeled in campaigns of high-end brands in the past.
Payne's funeral was organized over a month after the former One Direction member lost his life to a tragic fall from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires on October 16. Liam was in Argentina on a vacation with Kate, and the two also attended one of Niall Horan's shows there. Cassidy left the country and returned to Miami, Florida, on October 14, two days before the incident.
Kate Cassidy was tagged in Hurley's tribute post to Payne last month
Damian Hurley - the British actor, model, and director - appears to have known Liam Payne as well. A day after the news of Payne's death broke out, Hurley took to his Instagram handle, sharing a black-and-white picture of himself with his arms around the Strip That Down singer, with both men smiling at the camera.
Captioning the picture, Damian started with a broken heart emoji. He further added, tagging Cassidy's official handle:
"One of the sweetest men I’ve ever met. a devastating loss. thinking of and sending love to Liam’s family, especially my beautiful friend @kateecass."
Hurley is the son of the British actress and model Elizabeth Hurley, and the American businessman, Steve Bing. Two years ago, the 22-year-old's father died in an accident similar to that of Liam Payne's.
Bing's death was caused by a fall from the 27th floor of a skyscraper in Santa Monica. The only difference between the two is that Steve's death was by suicide, unlike Liam, whose fall was accidental.
Kate Cassidy revealed that Payne was planning to marry her before his death
Damian Hurley's Instagram tribute to Liam Payne came before that of Kate Cassidy. The 25-year-old model uploaded an Instagram post about her boyfriend's death roughly a week after his passing. She called Payne her best friend and "the love of my life" and said that her heart had been "shattered into pieces" by the news. She further added:
"None of this feels real, and I can't wrap my head around this new reality of not having you here. I'm struggling to figure out how to live in a world without you by my side. Together, we got to be kids again, always finding joy in the smallest things."
Kate went on to say that she couldn't imagine a day without his "laughter and love," stating that the singer brought "so much light" into her life. She continued:
"A few weeks ago, we sat outside on a beautiful evening manifesting our lives together. I keep your note close, even though you told me not to look at it. It said, 'Me and Kate to marry within a year/engaged & together forever 444.'"
Cassidy ended her tribute by adding that she knew that they would be together forever and that she had gained "a guardian angel."
Liam Payne and Kate Cassidy started dating in October 2022 and were in a relationship until the Both Ways singer's death. They made their public debut as a couple on the red carpet of the 2022 British Fashion Awards.
Cassidy had also accompanied the 31-year-old to the premiere of his bandmate Louis Tomlinson's documentary, All of Those Voices, in March 2023.
