Liam Payne, 27, SPLITS from fiancée Maya Henry, 21

Liam Payne has called off his engagement to fiancée Maya Henry. 

The singer, 27, confirmed the split in a podcast, telling Steven Barlett on Diary of a CEO that he needed to ‘work on himself’ but that he felt upset at ‘hurting’ Maya, 21. 

The couple confirmed their engagement in August 2020 after Liam popped the question during lockdown with a £3 million ring.  

The pair were first linked back in August 2018 shortly after Liam’s high-profile split from Cheryl, 37, with whom he shares son Bear, three.  

Sad news: Liam Payne, 27, has split from fiancée Maya Henry, 21, to ‘work on himself’ and admits he ‘feels better’ now he’s single (last pictured together in September 2020) 

Confirming that he is now single, Liam said on the podcast: ‘I feel like more than anything at this point, I’m more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people. 

‘That annoys me. I’ve just not been very good at relationships. And I know what my pattern of things is with relationships at this point.

‘I’m just not very good at them so I just need to work on myself before I put myself on to somebody else.’ 

The Strip That Down singer continued: ‘That’s where I got to in my last relationship. 

‘I just wasn’t giving a very good version of me anymore, that I didn’t appreciate and I didn’t like being. I can honestly say I feel better out of it.

‘I didn’t feel good doing what I did but it had to happen. Just a corny way to say it was the best for us both.’ 

The split will come as a shock to their fans, as although the pair haven’t been photographed together since September 2020, the couple still follow each other on Instagram and have kept their pictures up with each other.  

Confirming he is now single, Liam said: 'I feel like more than anything at this point, I'm more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people' (pictured October 2019)

Confirming he is now single, Liam said: ‘I feel like more than anything at this point, I’m more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people’ (pictured October 2019) 

Liam popped the question to Maya last year with a dazzling diamond ring that set him back an eye-watering £3 million.

MailOnline exclusively broke the news of their engagement in August, the singer then confirmed he had popped the question over the first lockdown. 

The pair were first linked back in August 2018 shortly after Liam split from Cheryl. 

However, they first set eyes on each other three years earlier, when they were pictured together at a meet-and-greet event when One Direction fan Maya was 15.

Family man: Maya and Liam were first linked back in August 2018 shortly after Liam's high-profile split from Cheryl, 37, with whom he shares son Bear, three (pictured together in 2016)

Family man: Maya and Liam were first linked back in August 2018 shortly after Liam’s high-profile split from Cheryl, 37, with whom he shares son Bear, three (pictured together in 2016)

It wasn’t until September 2019 that Liam publicly spoke about his blossoming romance, while promoting his single Stack It Up.

He said during an appearance on Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp: ‘We’re fairly happy at the moment. I’m just past the point of where I’m bothered or not.

‘It’s not worth my happiness; I’d just rather go out and do what I want. I’ve got nothing to hide.’

Liam said: 'I've just not been very good at relationships... so I just need to work on myself before I put myself on to somebody else' (pictured December 2019)

Liam said: ‘I’ve just not been very good at relationships… so I just need to work on myself before I put myself on to somebody else’ (pictured December 2019) 

That same month, Liam made things Instagram official, when he took to the image-sharing platform to upload a heartwarming snap of him laughing and hugging Maya.

Captioning the snap, he wrote: ‘Sometimes I don’t recognise this happy guy… sure glad you brought him back though.

‘This has been the most amazing release week to date! Massive thank you to all my team for helping setting it all up and making it run smooth.

‘Then last but not least this one @maya_henry for always keeping the biggest smile on my face through all the stress and making me realise how perfect my life really is. Love you all let’s stack this sh** up.’

Brunette beauty Maya wrote in response: ‘So proud of you and so glad we can be happy together. Stack it up biisshhh.’ [sic]

Instagram official: Liam made things Instagram official in September 2019 when he took to the image-sharing platform to upload a heartwarming snap of him laughing and hugging Maya

Instagram official: Liam made things Instagram official in September 2019 when he took to the image-sharing platform to upload a heartwarming snap of him laughing and hugging Maya 

Model Maya is the daughter of Thomas J. Henry – a Texan lawyer who amassed his wealth running his own personal injury firm.  

The company is described on its website as ‘one of the biggest plaintiff’s firms in Texas’, with Maya the heiress to the multi-million pound fortune.

Gem: Liam popped the question to Maya last year with a dazzling diamond ring that set him back an eye-watering £3 million

Gem: Liam popped the question to Maya last year with a dazzling diamond ring that set him back an eye-watering £3 million

The beauty has still been reaping the benefits of her father’s success during her youth – with her Quinceañera, the Spanish coming of age party at 15 years old, costing a whopping £4million. 

Despite her privileged background, the beauty is driven to succeed on her own – having revealed her desire to be a human rights lawyer ‘like Amal Clooney’ to the Business Insider.

Not only successful in the classroom, with her favourite subject algebra, the brunette is also interested in fitness, and was a competitive tennis player in her youth. 

She even set up her own charity, Maya’s Corner, as a child, which provides school supplies and now education opportunities to underprivileged kids across the US.

Liam’s most high-profile romance was with singer Cheryl, who is 10 years his senior.

Cheryl was 24 when a then 14-year-old Liam first auditioned for the X Factor back in 2008, but despite his tender years, cheeky Liam was full of confidence as he gave his future love a cheeky wink.

In a clip of their first meeting, Cheryl calls the musician ‘really cute,’ some seven years before they struck up their relationship.

First meeting: Liam's most high profile romance was with singer Cheryl, who is 10 years his senior. They first crossed paths on the X Factor in 2008 when she was 24 and he was 14

Wink: Cheryl told a teenage Liam that she thought he was 'really cute' when he winked at her during his 2008 audition, seven years before their professional relationship turned to something more

First meeting: Liam’s most high profile romance was with singer Cheryl, who is 10 years his senior. They first crossed paths on the X Factor in 2008 when she was 24 and he was 14

Liam and Cheryl came initially face-to-face two years before he returned to the show as a solo singer in 2010 and was one of the finalists chosen form one fifth of the boyband 1D.

In the clip, Cheryl is seen turning to the panel with a nod of the head and raised eyebrows as her future beau sings Fly Me To The Moon, before Liam looks at her and accompanies the lyrics ‘In other words, baby kiss me’ with a confident wink.

Seemingly impressed by his potential when he first sang for the judges, Cheryl’s feedback gushed: ‘I think you’re really cute, I think you’ve got charisma, you know you give us that little cheeky wink.’

Liam reached the Boot Camp stage of the competition, before being kicked out of the competition by Boys’ category mentor Simon just ahead of the Live Shows.

Pregnancy: The pair's romance is said to have started in December 2015 when they got reacquainted at the X Factor final, with Cheryl debuting her baby bump with son Bear in November the next year

Pregnancy: The pair’s romance is said to have started in December 2015 when they got reacquainted at the X Factor final, with Cheryl debuting her baby bump with son Bear in November the next year

During Cheryl’s third stint on the singing competition, in 2010, a familiar face returned, this time as a 16-year-old Liam, who wowed the judges with his performance of Julie London’s Cry Me A River.

After listening to his first-round audition that year, Cheryl gushed again: ‘You’ve definitely got it, whatever “it” is, you’ve got it. I thought your voice was really, really powerful.’

Cheryl ran in the same circles ever since, with Liam going on to achieve international stardom with bandmates Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik but returning regularly for visits to the show that made him famous.

The pair’s romance is said to have started in December 2015 when they got reacquainted at the X Factor final, which he attended with Harry, Louis and Niall.

Cheryl and Liam went public with their romance in February 2016 after being spotted together in a supermarket in Guildford, Surrey – welcoming son Bear in March 2017.

They went their separate ways in July 2018 following a two and a half year romance.

The pair are said to have remained civil since their split, with the hunk even insisting he would be not sure what he and son Bear would do without single Cheryl in a sweet Mother’s Day post in March 2019.

Whirlwind romance: The couple welcomed Bear in March 2017 but confirmed the end of their romance in July 2018

Whirlwind romance: The couple welcomed Bear in March 2017 but confirmed the end of their romance in July 2018

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk