Mary Byrne, who appeared with Liam Payne on The X Factor in 2010, says she is finding it difficult to “come to terms” with his tragic death.
The One Direction singer fell 45 feet from the third floor to the patio of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires this Wednesday at the age of 31.
Irish singer Mary, 64, approached One Direction in the semi-finals of the ITV show to reveal she last spoke to Liam in 2018, and during their chat he opened up to her about his struggle with fame.
She told The Sun: “I wouldn't say he didn't have fame, but they got so big and so fast that I'd say they literally sold out after five years.”
Mary said it was difficult being stuck in hotel rooms when Liam was touring the world and not being able to go out because of the crowds of fans.
Mary Byrne, 64, who appeared with Liam Payne on The X Factor in 2010, says she is finding it difficult to “come to terms” with his tragic death (pictured in 2016).
The One Direction singer fell 45 feet from the third floor of the Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday at the age of 31 (Mary and Liam photographed during The X Factor in 2010)
Irish singer Mary reached the semi-finals of the ITV show, while One Direction came third (pictured from the 2010 show).
“I love it, it's brilliant,” he said, but added: “It's hard, it's not what I expected,” were his words.
She continued: 'I've followed their career and you think how proud you are of these young people. I will always feel proud as a mother because I am the mother figure at home.
Before she admitted it, she couldn't even begin to imagine what her mother must have felt after Liam's death.
Liam has spoken openly about how world-famous One Direction changed his life and how drugs and alcohol affected their relationship, once admitting: “I don't know if I've hit rock bottom yet.”
Speaking to Stephen Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, Liam admitted: “I was worried about where my bottom line would be. Where is the bottom for me? And you wouldn't have seen it. I'm good at hiding it.
'I don't even know if I'm still hitting. I can make that decision now and choose my last moment as my rock or I can reach a new low.'
He admitted to suffering “social anxiety” and “stress” throughout the years of being famous, and spoke about the strain on his mental health as a member of a boy band who doesn't have the freedom to go anywhere.
Saying: 'It feels like we're in a band. The best way to protect ourselves is to lock ourselves in our rooms, and what is in the room? A minibar.
Mary last spoke to Liam in 2018 and during their chat he opened up to her about his struggle with fame (Liam pictured in 2018).
She said: 'I wouldn't say he didn't have fame, but they were so big, they went away so quickly, I'd say they literally burned out after five years' (One Direction film about The X Factor)
Liam said he found it difficult to be stuck in hotel rooms when touring the world, unable to hang out with crowds of fans (pictured in 2019).
Liam admitted to suffering “social anxiety” and “stress” from being famous over the years and opened up about the strain on his mental health (pictured in 2023).
'So I threw a party for someone and it seemed like years of my life, and then you look back and see how long you've been drinking?' and Jesus Christ longs, even for someone like me.'
In several interviews, Liam explained how he used alcohol to cope with both One Direction's massive success and their subsequent split, telling Men's Health Australia in 2019: “It's hard when you have the level of fame we had in the band.” .
“There are a lot of people with mental health issues who don't really get the help they need, and I think that's a problem in our field,”
'It's the same for everyone, it's been happening since the '70s. You know what the pitfalls are and if, like me, you've been lucky enough to get out of that situation and get back to normal, you know it's a little bit different.
Liam compared going on stage and going out in public to “putting on a Disney costume”, admitting: “It was.” [drunk] Many times, because there is no other way to understand what is happening.
'I mean, it was fun. We had a great time, but some parts were a little toxic.
It comes after X Factor boss Simon Cowell faced backlash over Liam's death, with contestant Katie Wiesel saying “we all know the truth” and Rebecca Ferguson criticizing the “exploitation and speculation of young stars” .
After X Factor boss Simon Cowell faced backlash over Liam's death, contestant Katie Waissel declared that “we all know the truth” and Rebecca Ferguson criticized the “exploitation and speculation of young stars” (in the photo with One Direction on The X Factor).
Singer-songwriter Katy, 38, who auditioned alongside Liam for the 2010 series of The X Factor, named Cowell in two reports.
Rebecca Ferguson, who appeared with Payne and Wiesel on The X Factor in 2010, also weighed in today.
Waissel, a 38-year-old singer-songwriter who auditioned during the 2010 series, mentioned Cowell's name in two reports. He accused music bosses of focusing on profits and not people.
Cowell, 65, who was a judge on The X Factor, signed One Direction to his Psycho music label.
Wiesel turned to
I would be a fool if Simon Cowell had the courage to make a statement about the heartbreaking and tragic loss of my dear, dear friend Liam. We all know the truth… I'm sure it will come out.'
Rebecca Ferguson, who appeared alongside Payne and Weissel on The X Factor in 2010, previously shared her view that the music industry is covering up “serious human rights abuses” and has endured “systematic misogyny and bullying” throughout its career.
