Liam Payne, Maya Henry, Zayn Malik. Getty Images (2)
Liam Payne’s ex-fiancée Maya Henry is spilling the One Direction tea — and finally revealing who she claims threw Payne into a wall backstage.
“OK, I see this all the time, everywhere,” Henry, 23, said via TikTok on Sunday, October 6, sharing a clip of another TikToker revealing that they “lied” and had to “discuss who we think threw Liam Payne up a wall” again.
Henry responded to the fan’s outcry for answers, claiming, “I’ve heard this insufferable story so many times, and he told me it was Zayn, so.”
She pointed to Zayn Malik as the alleged assailant out of Payne’s former bandmates. The group was also made up of Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Niall Horan before they called it quits in January 2016.
Henry, who was engaged to Payne, 31, from 2020 to 2022, broke her silence over the topic two years after Payne first shared the story about the boy band on the “Impaulsive” podcast.
“In the band, we hated each other,” Payne said in 2022. “Like, come to blows hate each other, it was close.”
He further alleged, “There was one moment where there was an argument backstage, and one member in particular threw me up a wall.”
Payne didn’t reveal who reportedly pushed him, but he recalled telling his former bandmate, “If you don’t remove those hands, there’s a high likelihood you’ll never use them again.”
Fans have speculated for years who the culprit could be, especially after Payne called Tomlinson, 32, “rowdy” during the podcast appearance. Payne also raised eyebrows during the show when he confessed to having friction with Malik, 31, over the years.
Liam Payne has been learning to navigate his personal ups and downs since rising to fame as a member of One Direction in 2010. Payne’s boy band success and later solo stardom has made finding love somewhat difficult. After an on-off romance with X-Factor dancer Danielle Peazer, Payne was linked to childhood flame Sophia Smith […]
“There are many reasons I dislike Zayn and there are many reasons why I’ll always be on his side,” Payne explained. “If I had had to go through what he went through, through his growth and whatever else. My parents are overly supportive, to the point where it’s annoying at times, and Zayn had a different upbringing in that sense.”
The “For You” singer noted that Malik’s childhood shaped him — and is the reason Payne has overlooked some of his faults. (Payne seemed to take issue with Malik quitting One Direction in 2015, which later led to the whole group splitting up.)
“You can always look at the man for where he is and say: ‘That guy’s a d—,’ but at the end of the day, what you understand, what he’s had to get through to get to that point and whether or not he wanted to be there, I can’t d— on him,” Payne continued. “I don’t agree with his actions, I can’t be on his side. I understand and hope that one day, the other person on the end of the phone wants to receive the help.”
One Direction may have hit pause on their music together, but band members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik have continued to hit play when it comes to romance. Malik’s relationship with fellow English singer Perrie Edwards was a fan-favorite as the couple started dating in 2011 and got engaged […]
Payne publicly apologized for his comments about Malik via X in June 2022, claiming the podcast hosts “mentioned a specific incident involving Zayn which I responded to — but listening back maybe I didn’t articulate myself as well as I could have.”
He continued, “I was saying that there will always be things we disagree on but that I will always be on his side.” The musician claimed, “That’s family. Zayn is my brother, and I will stand by him forever.”
Payne and Henry, meanwhile, made headlines in August 2020 when they got engaged after two years of dating. The pair briefly split in June 2021 before reconnecting. News broke in May 2022 that Payne and Henry called it quits as photos surfaced of the singer snuggling up to Aliana Mawla surfaced.
At the time, Payne’s rep told Us Weekly that he and Henry “have split up” with a source confirming the exes broke up “over a month” prior. Payne, who shares 6-year-old son Bear with ex Cheryl Cole, is currently dating Kate Cassidy.
Us Weekly has reached out to Payne and Malik’s reps for comment.