Liam Payne’s grieving girlfriend has hit out at claims she’s a “gold-digger” and lived off the singer’s generous handouts.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Kate Cassidy, 25, has been left fuming over reports she exploited the late One Direction star by accepting $35k-a-month payments and claims she makes enough money herself as an in-demand influencer.
A source told RadarOnline: “Kate is really upset by these claims, she feels they’re unfair and make her look like a gold-digger.
“Liam was generous, there’s no doubting that, but Kate makes her own cash and does very well.
“It’s not like she lived off his money, she was successful in her own right before they met and had already built up sizeable funds to support her lifestyle.”
The report claimed the singer was giving Cassidy $10,000 a month for living expenses and also generously allowed her to use his credit card for clothing and other expenses which regularly totalled around $25,000 a month.
Cassidy started dating Payne in late 2022 and the couple had moved into a rental home in Wellington, Florida, only weeks before the 31-year-old star’s tragic fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16.
The couple’s sprawling five-bedroom home in, however, went back on the market for $9,950-per-month at the end of October.
Earlier this week, Cassidy was pictured leaving an apartment in London where she had been staying since Payne’s passing.
Cassidy won’t be attempting to claim any of the One Direction singer’s estate, due to the fact they weren’t married and Payne has a son, seven-year-old Bear who will be the main beneficiary.
Cassidy flew to the UK days after Payne’s passing to be with his family and friends, including Damian Hurley, and attended his funeral alongside the remaining members of One Direction at St Mary’s church in Buckinghamshire.
RadarOnline.com revealed shortly after Payne died Cassidy will be “forever haunted” for leaving the singer in Argentina two days before his fatal balcony plunge.
She headed back to the U.S. leaving Payne to go into a drug-fueled bender.
A pal said: “She did what she needed to do at the time.
“She had no idea what was going to happen.
“I can tell you that her decision will haunt her for the rest of her life.”
The pal continued: “She feels bad. Everyone in her life is saying that it’s not her fault.
“You can’t babysit a 30-year-old grown man 24/7/365. But she’s not yet in a place to hear that.”
