Kate previously broke down in tears in her first global interview since the tragedy with The Sun

LIAM Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy wiped away tears on Lorraine Kelly’s show this morning as she remembered the singer.

The One Direction star died in October last year at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

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Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy appeared on Lorraine Kelly’s show this morningCredit: ITV

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Kate broke down in tears in her first global interview since the tragedy with The SunCredit: Dan Charity

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She had planned to marry her ‘charming soulmate’ LiamCredit: Dan Charity
During Wednesday’s Lorraine programme on ITV, Cassidy discussed Payne’s “struggles” and the “poignant” reason for her getting involved with the show’s new mental health campaign.

She talked with Lorraine about how difficult it is for both her and Liam’s fans to refer to him in the past tense.

Becoming emotional, influencer Kate said: “I find myself talking about him so much in the present tense.

“I don’t even feel the need to correct myself. That’s part of my healing journey.

“I’m still working on accepting the fact that he’s not here any more.

“It’s hard for me to refer to him in the past tense, and when I do refer to him in the past tense it almost stings that little bit more because… it just … it’s more official.”

Cassidy also said she has her “harder days, but I’m surrounded by such a great support system that I cannot thank enough”.

She added that it is “hard to get out of bed” after the death of the pop band member.

“I genuinely believe Liam, in a way, guided me to this campaign and wanted me to be involved in this, and to help other people,” she said.

Cassidy said that he “was so open about his mental health” and she is supporting the push as “he no longer can help people”.

She added: “I’m going through this healing journey, sometimes it’s hard for me to get out of bed in the morning and something I don’t want to do.

“But I have this responsibility and this obligation that I am almost in a way … I have no choice.

“I have to get out of bed (for my dog) Nala and whether it’s a five-minute walk or 20-minute walk first thing in the morning.

“Either way, it just wakes me up and refreshes my mind instead of laying in bed all day just scrolling through social media or old photos, it gets me out of bed and really, really helps my mindset and my mental health.”

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Cassidy discussed Payne’s ‘struggles’ during Wednesday’s Lorraine programmeCredit: ITV

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Liam and Kate adopted rescue dog NalaCredit: Instagram

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Kate still calls Liam’s phone to hear his voicemail recordingCredit: Dan Charity
She had been staying with Payne in Argentina but flew back to America before his fatal accident.

In an interview with The Sun last month she revealed his death “still doesn’t feel fully real”.

She added: “Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end.

“Obviously if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina.”

Payne was remembered at the Brit Awards on Saturday night with a video montage which showed him with his family.

A clip from his time on The X Factor was played and then with One Direction, who won seven Brit Awards before they split up.

On Sunday, his family said they will “forever remember the joy that his music brought to the world” and described his death as an “unspeakable tragedy”.

Last month it was reported that a court in Argentina had dropped charges of criminal negligence against three out of the five people who had been charged in connection with his death.

Pete Wicks, Tyler West, Vicky Pattison, Vogue Williams and Ellie Simmonds will share their personal stories as part of Lorraine’s month-long initiative March4March.

As part of the campaign, viewers and celebrity supporters will be asked to “pledge” a number of steps across the month of March.

The show is aiming to reach at least three million steps in a bid to metaphorically walk the entire length of the UK, ITV has said.

Kelly said: “I’m so pleased we are launching a campaign dedicated to destigmatising the conversation around mental health.

“I’m so grateful to the amazing names who’ve already agreed to bravely share their stories and pledge their support for such a worthy cause.

“I’m looking forward to getting out walking and talking, and I look forward to taking our amazing viewers along with me.”

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Kate said she struggles to accept that her boyfriend Liam has diedCredit: ITV

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On October 16, the day of his death, his hotel room was littered with drug paraphernalia and an opened champagne bottleCredit: Reuters

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Liam, pictured left, with his One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan in 2011Credit: Getty