Former SAS: Who Dares Wins host Ant Middleton said he “formed a brotherhood” with Liam Payne after they filmed a documentary together in 2019.
The ex-Special Forces soldier described the former One Direction singer as “a good friend of mine” after the pair journeyed through Namibia for the programme Ant Middleton & Liam Payne: Straight Talking.
Middleton said during a live interview on Australia’s The Morning Show that it was “the first time hearing” of Payne’s death at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
“After we filmed Straight Talking With Ant Middleton, he was my first celebrity guest and we formed a brotherhood,” Middleton told hosts Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur.
“He was like a younger brother to me. He would confide in me, I’d go around and see him.
“There were some issues there, but nothing that a young celebrity at his calibre wouldn’t suffer from.
“I’m just shocked at the moment, wow, don’t really know what to say.”
Middleton said Payne “had a lovely aura around him”, describing him as a “lovely guy”.
“He had positive energy around him,” the 44-year-old said.
“He was a visionary, he always thought and dreamed big, and that’s why he got to where he was, and he was loved.
“He was one of those band members that was the glue, I believe, was the glue for One Direction, and it’s a shame to see such a positive individual die so young.”
Middleton added that he was away filming but wanted to “find out what’s happened to my good friend”.