Kate Cassidy, the girlfriend of the late Liam Payne, has defended her resharing of AI images featuring herself and the One Direction singer.
The 26-year-old influencer took to Instagram on September 20 to share a series of images created by a fan, featuring herself and Payne, who died aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last year, dressed formally in front of a white background.
In the three fake photos, Cassidy wore a pink dress and Payne wore a salmon blazer as they embraced each other.
When sharing the images, she thanked the fan who made them in the caption: “Thanks for making these. AI is such a blessing and a curse.”
But since her posting of the images, Cassidy has been receiving backlash from fans, leading her to finally take to Instagram to defend her decision in a video.
“Please stop judging the way people grieve,” she told her audience, telling them that she had seen the posts and news articles “bashing me for finding comfort and peace in seeing photos of me and Liam created with AI
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“None of you have ever been in my position and hopefully you never will be.
“So please, please kindly stop telling me how to grieve and how I should be finding comfort and what I shouldn’t be finding comfort in. Grief is so different for everyone. There is no right or wrong. Grief is not linear.”
She also discussed the complexities of AI, sharing, “AI is a very wild concept and it’s still super new in this world… it’s like a blessing and a curse
“I look at these photos and I’m like, ‘This should be a reality’… I shouldn’t be having to see these photos and knowing in a way, it’s fake, like this is never gonna happen again because Liam’s not here.
“But also, the other part of me is like, this would have been something that we would have created together, this photo, this memory, whatever it is.
“And it makes me feel like I’m keeping him alive so much by seeing these photos, and I appreciate people who make these, you know, AI edits and stuff, and then I see them getting bashed as well,” she shared.
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“I know a lot of people in this world, they’re grieving over my boyfriend’s passing. I understand that,” she said.
“He made a huge impact on the world and, you know, I think that so many of you guys keep his legacy and his memory alive. Whatever everybody has to do to grieve, just do it.”
Her message comes weeks after she marked his first birthday since his death.
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She took to Instagram to share a tribute, along with many private images of the pair.
“My dearest Liam,” she wrote, “It breaks my heart being that I can’t hand you a physical birthday card today. That I can’t hear your laugh, or tell you all the things I wish I’d said a thousand more times.I’ve been struggling to find the right words, but I’ll start with the most obvious, happy birthday.
“Today, you would have been 32. In your 31 years here on this earth you brought so much joy, happiness and hope to so many- especially to me. I hope you know how brightly you still shine, even from up there.
“I promise you I will celebrate you extra today, honor your life, and cherish the beautiful times we’ve had. August 29th will be a date that sits in my heart for the rest of my life. I love you so much,” she said before signing off with “Yours, Katelyn.”
Cassidy was in Buenos Aires with Payne days before his death on October 16, 2024, returning to her home in Florida just two days beforehand.
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