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Kate Cassidy, girlfriend of the late Liam Payne, has addressed chatter surrounding her decision to remove tattoo tributes to the late One Direction member.
In a video she shared to TikTok on Wednesday, July 29, Cassidy clarified that she is not removing her ink because she doesn't love Payne, but because the tattoos were too thick. She explained that the tattoos were the first ones she'd ever received, and even at that time, they weren't done the way she truly wanted. Instead, she received thicker designs than anticipated, which inspired her to undergo laser removal.
“The only reason that I am lasering off these tattoos is literally just because they are too thick for my liking,” Cassidy said. “These are the very first tattoos I ever received—I've already talked about this before—and I went somewhere really random, and I asked for a fine line tattoo.”
Among the tattoos being removed are angel wings, a star, and the number "444," which held special significance for the couple. Despite removing these tributes, Cassidy plans to get them again in a different location with a finer line technique.
"The meaning behind all of my tattoos are so, so special to me," she said.
Cassidy began dating Payne in 2022. The couple shared a close relationship before his tragic death at age 31 in 2024. Payne died after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since his death, Cassidy has been open about her grief and the impact of losing Payne, sharing her journey on social media. She remains committed to honoring Payne's memory in her own way.
"You don’t move on from grief," she said. "You move forward with it, carrying love in a different form."