Ant Middleton urges fans to 'reach out to people' after Liam Payne's death

The former SAS: Who Dares Wins star said he had taken 'lessons' from the One Direction singer's death on the importance of checking in with friends.

Watch: Ant Middleton looks back on the last time he spoke to Liam Payne

Ant Middleton has opened up on the last time he spoke to Liam Payne, urging people to make the time to check in on their friends.

The former SAS: Who Dares Wins star had made a documentary with Payne in 2019 and the pair became close friends, staying in touch to see how each other were coping with fame and mental health.

But Middleton told This Morning on Thursday that he had not spoken to the One Direction singer for eight months as they had both been so busy that they had only exchanged texts, and said his death had made him reflect on the importance of staying in contact with loved ones.

Ant Middleton spoke about his friendship with Liam Payne. (ITV screengrab)
Ant Middleton spoke about his friendship with Liam Payne. (ITV screengrab)

After Liam Payne's death at the age of 31 last week, his friend Ant Middleton spoke of his shock over the news and said that the One Direction singer had been "like a younger brother" to him. The pair had formed a close bond when making an episode of Middleton's documentary Straight Talking together in 2019.

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But appearing on Thursday's This Morning, former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Middleton admitted he had last spoken to Payne eight months earlier and that they had been so busy they had only exchanged texts, saying he had learned "lessons" from Payne's death about making the time to check in with friends.

Asked about the last time he had spoken to Payne, Middleton said: "I've been really busy, and Liam being the megastar that he was, you can imagine how busy he was, so I spoke to him on the phone probably about eight months ago and in texts since.

Read more: Liam Payne

Liam Payne became close friends with Ant Middleton after working together on a documentary. (WireImage)
Liam Payne became close friends with Ant Middleton after working together on a documentary. (WireImage)

"At the beginning of the year I was away in Australia doing Dancing with the Stars and now I think, we're at the end of October already, where did the time go. It only feels like I was at Liam's yesterday, of course it does because we're all so busy."

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He continued: "Of course we can do more, of course lessons like this in such a negative situation we must draw from, must look at the positive and go right, let's reach out to people. Think, how long ago did I speak to someone, how long ago did I send a text.

"It's made me think, even if we're so, so busy with our lives, just if you've got five minutes, two minutes, if you're thinking about someone, don't just think about them, let them know that you're thinking about them."

Ant Middleton used to head up SAS: Who Dares Wins. (Channel 4)
Ant Middleton used to head up SAS: Who Dares Wins. (Channel 4)

Middleton bonded with Payne while making their 2019 documentary together over their experiences of fame, and mental health struggles after work coming to an end.

The former Special Forces soldier left SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2021, while One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2015. Payne had also shared his struggles with addiction over the years. "I don't mind talking about Liam, he was a great friend of mine, a super positive guy," he said.

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Talking about a clip from their documentary where Payne spoke about surrounding himself with supportive people, he added: "Like Liam said, it's about the people around you. We can only do so much by ourselves. It's very important, even if it's just a phone call, just a text...that's what me and Liam used to do all the time. I used to go and see him at the drop of a hat because I knew he just needed someone by his side. Certainly someone to chat, someone to vent, just someone there, someone present.

"When I look back on the interviews and everything we spoke about since because we remained great friends since then it's just the power of someone being present in your life. Even if someone doesn't want to talk, just being emotionally aware, are you ok. Just that question and recognising that something's not right will get you through to the next day.

"When you suffer with mental health issues, it's about getting through day by day, not week by week, month by month. It's day by day. If you think someone's suffering or you feel something's not right, just ask a question. Because I guarantee you, even if they don't want to talk, that question will go, ah, someone's thinking about me. That's all I need to get through to the next day."

This Morning airs on ITV1 at 10am on weekdays.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org