Ex-SAS star Ant Middleton says Liam Payne ‘was like a younger brother to me’

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”.