Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy is facing backlash online over a controversial Halloween-themed post, two years after the former One Direction star’s death in Argentina. The 27-year-old deleted and then re-uploaded a social media post where she is covered in blood, ahead of Halloween weekend.
She initially wrote “and she died of a broken heart” as her caption, but after re-uploading her post on Instagram she instead opted for “Bloody Mary.” The change did little to calm opinion, with the post still splitting commenters.
Two years of scrutiny
Cassidy has come in for a large amount of criticism in the two years since Payne’s death, particularly when she removed a tattoo dedicated to her former partner. She later clarified that she was undergoing laser treatment to remove the tattoo because it was done poorly and she did not like the placement, and that she was intending for the ink to be redone eventually.
Her actions since his passing have often been questioned, including her latest Halloween post. The post came just days after Cassidy had shared a touching tribute to Payne on the second anniversary of his death, in which she shared the couple’s last video together.
A divided reaction
Some commenters defended Cassidy, arguing that a Halloween costume post is harmless and that she is entitled to grieve in her own way. Others said the blood-covered imagery, paired with the original broken-heart caption, was insensitive given the circumstances of Payne’s death.
When Payne passed away in 2024, Cassidy shared an emotional tribute to the singer on her Instagram page. Two years on, every post she makes is still read through the lens of that loss — a burden few public figures carry so visibly, and one that makes even a Halloween costume a subject of fierce debate.
