Lorraine Kelly 'can't stop thinking' about Liam Payne's son as she pays tribute to star

An emotional Lorraine Kelly reflected on the tragedy of Liam Payne's sudden death, admitting to viewers that she 'can't stop thinking' about the young son he leaves behind.

The devastating news of former One Direction star Liam dying at the age of 31 after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires has shocked fans worldwide. The incident took place shortly after he and his partner, Kate Cassidy, saw Niall Horan, his former bandmate, in concert.

A father to Bear, his son with ex-girlfriend Cheryl, Liam maintained a close bond with him despite their split. On her TV show on Thursday, Lorraine, aged 64, described the incident as "unbelievably heartbreaking".

Lorraine opened up, saying: "I was generally shocked when I saw this, it's absolutely tragic. I can't stop thinking about that poor wee boy because Cheryl is going to have to break the news to him."

She added: "He is only seven years old and Liam was always talking about his son, he was a really devoted dad. He might not have been with him all the time but he was a very devoted dad. We've seen lots of photographs with his son and he spoke about him a lot too," reports the Mirror.

Upon reviewing past footage of her interview with a young Liam and his One Direction colleagues, Lorraine reminisced: "He was just adorable. The news is just unbelievably heartbreaking. I remember that time speaking to him, he was just so fun. When you spoke to the band he was always the grown up of the group."

Lorraine, visibly moved, said: "My thoughts are with his family and friends but especially with his little boy. It's very sad. He was taken away far too soon, only 31 years old."

Liam became a father to Bear in 2017 when he was just 23, with Cheryl. However, their relationship ended the following year after two and a half years together.

Since their split, Cheryl, now 40, and Liam have been co-parenting, although Liam has been largely absent from Bear's life for the past seven years.

An industry source revealed that after separating from Cheryl and overcoming personal challenges, including rehab stints and mental health issues, as reported by OK! magazine, Liam was eager to move on.

"We don't see a lot of Bear on Liam's social media but I think he wants to prove to Cheryl that he's getting his life together," the insider added.

"He really wants to be a good dad and with Cheryl about to resume touring with Girls Aloud, she'll be busier than ever and not around as much."

Lorraine is on ITV1 weekdays at 9am and on ITVX