A year after the heartbreaking death of her boyfriend Liam Payne, model Kate Cassidy is trying to move forward with her life.

However, even as she opens up about her grief and starts smiling again, her friends say the recovery hasn’t been easy.

The 26-year-old has been spotted enjoying nights out and posting happy photos, but those close to her admit there are still troubling signs as she battles private pain and public scrutiny.

According to her friends, Cassidy fell into a dark place after Payne’s sudden death in Argentina on October 16, 2024.

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The former One Direction star plunged to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, leaving fans around the world devastated.

“There were months where I literally didn’t see her smile, and I was seeing her every day,” a friend told the Daily Mail. “It was so concerning. She didn’t even seem like herself. She canceled a lot of hangouts and was almost a recluse.”

Cassidy has also admitted that she battled depression and struggled to find purpose.

Earlier this month, she told Page Six at a benefit for The National Alliance on Mental Illness, “I was always just kind of doing nothing and just dealing with that grief and pain. I was just not wanting to really live my life.”

Her friend added that it took time before Cassidy began to heal, saying, “There was a point where she was definitely not okay, but she’s getting better now.”

Payne’s death sent shockwaves through the entertainment world.

A toxicology report later revealed alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system.

However, the case took another turn last week when Braian Nahuel Paiz, a 25-year-old hotel employee, came forward claiming he had spent several hours in bed with the musician the day before his death.

Paiz, who admitted to providing Payne with cocaine, told the Daily Mail that they did not have sex but described their meeting as “intimate.”

His statement fueled speculation and painful rumors for those closest to the singer.

For Cassidy, the allegations reopened wounds she was still trying to close.

However, she has chosen not to comment on Paiz’s claims publicly.

“She doesn’t pay any attention to them,” her friend shared. “She knows what she and Liam had, and that it was very, very good.”

Despite constant whispers and online attacks, Cassidy is refusing to let the past define her.

Friends say she is working hard to heal privately while ignoring outside noise.

“She doesn’t know what happened after she left Argentina, but it doesn’t change how she feels about Liam,” the friend continued. “Whatever that guy says happened, it doesn’t affect her, so she’s ignoring it.”

According to them, Cassidy’s focus is entirely on rebuilding her emotional strength.

“She’s hanging out with friends and open to dating again, although she’s not quite there yet,” the insider added. “She’s trying to move forward because she knows that’s what Liam would have wanted for her.”

As Cassidy begins to show glimpses of happiness online, not everyone has been supportive.

After she posted a recent Instagram reel showing herself on the shoulders of two men during a night out, some of Payne’s fans accused her of being disrespectful.

“I think that doing this type of content does not speak well of you,” one follower commented. “It has been almost a year since we lost your boyfriend, and for my taste, this is not good.”

Another wrote, “She has bounced back real quick,” while a third simply said, “Disrespectful.”

However, Cassidy’s friends see the videos differently. “This is her starting to smile again,” one told the Daily Mail. “This is the old Kate coming back. She knows, and everyone who knew Liam knows, this is what he’d want for her.”

Her return to lighthearted content, they say, marks a healthy step forward, not disrespect, but recovery.

While Cassidy continues to face gossip and criticism, her focus remains on personal growth.

She has openly described how she pushed herself to rebuild her life after months of despair.

“I finally realized, ‘Okay, I need to live my life, I need to get up, get out of bed,’” she told Page Six.

To rebuild structure, she began setting alarms to wake up earlier, started working out, and even shifted to “eating clean.”

Those small steps slowly pulled her back to life. “She’s moving forward now,” a friend confirmed. “She knows it’s what he would have wanted.”

Even as questions linger around Payne’s final hours, Cassidy is learning to let go.

Her quiet strength and the support of those closest to her are now guiding her toward peace.