Liam Payne's pal Ant Middleton reveals singer 'lacked sense of belonging' following One Direction's split

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: In the wake of Liam Payne's tragic death, his close friend Ant Middleton reflected on their friendship, revealing that Liam often felt "lost" and struggled with a "sense of belonging" after One Direction's split.

The 'Strip That Down' singer and the former 'SAS' star spent three days in Namibia and developed a close connection while filming the documentary 'Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking' in 2019, per Daily Mail.

Reports indicate that the 31-year-old former boy band member fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Palmero Hotel in Buenos Aires on the night of Wednesday, October 15, shortly after five o'clock.

Ant Middleton reveals how Liam Payne 'lacked a sense of belonging' after One Direction's split

During Thursday's episode of 'Good Morning Britain', Ant Middleton shared his devastation upon hearing about Liam Payne's death, which he learned about live on Australia's 'The Morning Show' earlier that morning.

After praising Liam as "such a positive, outgoing guy," Ant expressed that he felt Payne "lacked a sense of belonging" after leaving the band.

Ant reflected on Payne's death, saying, "I was just shocked and lost for words. He was such a positive, outgoing guy, but I believe he lacked a sense of belonging after leaving the band. When we did our special together in Namibia, I could relate to that."

"When I left the military, I lost my sense of being, and when he left the band we had a great conversation about how that identity is lost and how we re-identify ourselves and re-establish ourselves. And we became very close after that," he added.

Ant, who called Payne his "little brother," reminisced about living just an hour away from him and how they often spent evenings together discussing their life goals.

While speaking to the hosts about the late singer, Ant also acknowledged the challenges his friend faced, expressing his belief that Payne felt "lost" as he tried to adapt to life after the boy band went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Ant Middleton claims Liam Payne's 'face lit up' when he considered One Direction reunion

Fans of One Direction had their hopes for a reunion shattered by Liam Payne's untimely death.

However, according to his close friend Ant Middleton, the 31-year-old's face would "light up" at the thought of a possible reunion.

Speaking on 'Good Morning Britain', Ant said, "If you don't focus enough on something or belonging then yeah, you do get lost. I felt that Liam had that sometimes."

Ant, originally from Portsmouth and a participant on Channel 4's 'Celeb SAS' from 2015 to 2021, added that Payne's face would "light up" whenever they discussed his son or the prospect of a boy band reunion, per The US Sun.

Later in the conversation, Ant said, "During Soccer Aid, I remember he phoned me up to come training with him and he was so focused, he was so dedicated because he was captain for the England team and I knew that was his new belonging."

He added, "He was so focused and clean and he was doing so well, and I believe that once those sorts of things left him, he was looking for something again. It's sad to see him bumping his head against a brick wall sometimes."

Ant also noted in the interview that Payne was "very emotionally intelligent" and had a "great energy about him," often speaking proudly about his son Bear.

Ant and Payne first met at the launch of Mark Wahlberg's Wahlburgers restaurant in London's Covent Garden.

Ant Middleton and Liam Payne 'formed a brotherhood' while filming documentary together in 2019

After collaborating on a documentary in 2019, Ant Middleton shared that he and Liam Payne "formed a brotherhood."

The former Special Forces soldier referred to the former One Direction singer as "a good friend of mine" after their journey through Namibia for the show 'Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking', per The Independent.

During a live interview on Australia’s 'The Morning Show', Ant shared, "After we filmed Straight Talking With Ant Middleton, he was my first celebrity guest, and we formed a brotherhood."

"He was like a younger brother to me. He would confide in me, and I’d often go around to see him," he told hosts Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur.

The documentary led the two famous individuals to engage in deep, open conversations about relationships, drinking, and fatherhood, away from fans, cameras, and mobile service.

They spent time together, and Payne confided in Ant that becoming a father at 23 "messed him up," according to the Daily Mail. During the documentary, Payne expressed, "Cheryl [Cole] is still the most important person in my life," referring to the mother of his son Bear and his former partner.

Payne rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32.