Zayn Malik’s ex Perrie Edwards breaks silence on Liam Payne’s death

Perrie Edwards finally broke her silence weeks after the tragic death of Liam Payne.

In a newly released Happy Place podcast episode, which was recorded the morning after the One Direction alum died on Wednesday, October 16, the Little Mix singer expressed her heartbreak over Payne’s sudden passing.

"I think it feels weird. It’s just so sad and heartbreaking, and my heart hurts for his family and friends, Cheryl, his little boy," Edwards, who dated Payne’s 1D bandmate, Zayn Malik, opened up to Fearne Cotton.

"It’s devastating. I can’t imagine how they must be feeling now. I don’t think it was real when I read it, it’s in the air, and everyone can feel it," she continued. "Me and the Little Mix girls were messaging, and Leigh-Anne (Pinnock) just said it feels very close to home."

"Our careers were very aligned; we had a close relationship with them. It's honestly so sad, it made my body feel so weird when I saw the headline," Edward, 31, added, referring to the duo, who bonded when they were contestants on The X Factor.

Edwards went on to form Little Mix alongside Leigh-Anne, Jade Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson in 2011, a year after Payne, 31, created One Direction with Malik, 31, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson in 2010.