Liam Payne and ex-fiancée Maya Henry: A detailed timeline of their tumultuous relationship

The tragic death of Liam Payne at the age of 31 has left fans devastated as details of his personal life continue to emerge. 

Payne, who had been in Argentina with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, had recently made headlines following revelations from his ex-fiancée, Maya Henry. 

The pair had a tumultuous on-and-off relationship that spanned several years, with Henry revealing just days before Payne’s death that she had sent him a cease-and-desist letter, accusing him of continued harassment.

Their relationship, which began in 2018, was often in the spotlight due to their public appearances and high-profile split. 

Despite brief reconciliations, Payne and Henry called it quits for good in May 2022 amid rumors of infidelity. Henry’s debut novel, Looking Forward, released in May 2024, was believed to be loosely based on her relationship with Payne. 

She later posted a series of social media videos where she claimed Payne had harassed her and her family even after their breakup. Days after these allegations surfaced, Payne tragically passed away after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Relationship Timeline:

August 2018: First Linked
Liam Payne and Maya Henry were first spotted together in August 2018, shortly after Payne’s breakup with Cheryl Cole. Although their relationship remained low-key, they went public with their romance in September 2019, with Payne admitting on KISS FM U.K. that Henry helped him feel more relaxed in the public eye. "The difference is with her, she’s so relaxed that it helps me relax in a situation," he said.

August 2020: Engagement
Two years into their relationship, Payne proposed to Henry in August 2020. Payne appeared on Good Morning America shortly afterward, sharing that they were "just really happy" following the engagement and discussing milestones in his life, including his son Bear starting school.

June 2021: First Breakup
In June 2021, the couple hit a rough patch and parted ways. Payne confirmed the split during an interview on The Diary of a CEO podcast, admitting, "I’ve just not been very good at relationships. I just need to work on myself before I put myself on to somebody else."

October 2021: Reconciliation
Their breakup was brief, as the couple reconciled later that year, making a red-carpet appearance together at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2021.

May 2022: Final Split
By May 2022, Payne and Henry had broken up for good, with Henry publicly commenting on a photo of Payne with another woman. "Please stop sending me these pictures of my fiancé wrapped around another woman. This is not me and it’s hard enough knowing this has happened without seeing it. Enough now," she wrote. Payne’s representative confirmed that the couple had split "over a month ago."

May 2024: Henry’s Novel
Henry released her debut novel, Looking Forward, in May 2024, sparking speculation that the book was based on her relationship with Payne. In an interview with People, Henry acknowledged that the book was inspired by true events, explaining, "Obviously the book is fiction, [but it’s] definitely inspired by true events." She also spoke about her emotional connection to the main character, Mallory, and how the fictional romance echoed aspects of her real-life experience with Payne.

October 2024: Harassment Allegations and Cease-and-Desist
In early October 2024, Henry posted a series of TikTok videos where she accused Payne of harassing her and her family members, saying, "He’ll create new iCloud accounts to iMessage me—it's always a damn new iCloud account." Days later, on October 14, the Daily Mail reported that Henry had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Payne after he allegedly continued contacting her. Payne tragically passed away two days later, on October 16, after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.