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Why did Liam Payne and Maya Henry split? Singer says he's 'not good' at relationships

The former One Direction singer-songwriter revealed he ended his engagement to American model Maya Henry and that the couple split during the lockdown

British singer-songwriter and former One Direction member Liam Payne has revealed that he has ended his engagement to American model Maya Henry and that the couple split during the lockdown. Appearing on the ‘Diary of a CEO’ podcast, Payne said that he was now single. He also said that he was “disappointed” in himself for “hurting people”.

Speaking with host Steven Bartlett about his split with Henry, he said, “I feel like, more than anything at this point, I'm more disappointed in myself [that] I keep on hurting people. That annoys me. I’ve just not been very good at relationships and I know what my pattern of things is with relationships at this point. I’m just not very good at them so I just need to work on myself before I put myself on to somebody else.”

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Payne further said that something similar had happened in his last relationship and he felt he “wasn’t giving a very good version of [himself] anymore,” which he “didn’t appreciate and I didn’t like being.” He said, “I can honestly say I feel better out of it. I didn’t feel good doing what I did but it had to happen. That’s just the corniest way of saying it ‘was the best for both of us’ -- whatever, cool, nice story, bro.” Payne was previously in a relationship with former Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole from 2016 to 2018. Their son, Bear, was born in March 2017.

He added, “I know it was a problem so I need to sort myself. I already feel good. It has already got me more concentrated and I hope she’s happy.” He also said that he was “not very good on [his] own” and that he tended to dive in and out of relationships.

Payne and Henry first met in September 2015. But it was not until years later that something would begin brewing. In 2018, after Payne’s breakup with Cole, he was first linked with the American model. The pair, however, kept the budding romance quiet for nearly a year. 

It was finally in September 2019 that Payne confirmed dating rumors. After images surfaced of the pair cozying up, Payne said in an interview, "We're fairly happy at the moment.” Adding that he did not want to keep it hidden from the press and fans, he said, “It's not worth my happiness; I'd just rather go out and do what I want. I've got nothing to hide."

February of 2020 saw the first breakup rumors arise. But those rumors were quashed soon enough. And in August 2020, Henry was spotted wearing a diamond on her left ring finger while out to dinner in London. Following a frenzy of engagement speculations, Payne's representatives confirmed the news of the next step in their relationship.

Following the news of them breaking up, "HERE FOR LIAM" began trending on Twitter. “I've just finished watching the podcast and I want to say that I'm so fucking proud of liam, I'm proud of him being that honest and open & I'm thankful for sharing that with us, thank you for speaking about important things such as selfcare and mental health. HERE FOR LIAM,” wrote a fan on Twitter. 

Another fan wrote, “everyone should really watch/listen to liam's interview. you get so much insight of how his/their lives are. and I really love how they talked about lows of his life and talking about it openly will be a big help for those having a hard time facing that part of life. HERE FOR LIAM.” One fan wrote, “I'm very very sad about what liam is going through he deserves the whole world but at least now he's finding himself and free, we are HERE FOR LIAM.”

A fan declared, “Liam is the most honest, pure and generous person i've ever seen seen. He deserves the world. We love u no matter what, we're always here to love n support u. We are so f**ing proud of u. HERE FOR LIAM.”