Alert – Xtra Factor host Konnie Huq reveals the eerily prescient message she gave Liam Payne when he was on the show as she pays heartfelt tribute to the singer after his tragic death aged 31

Konnie Huq told a teenage Liam Payne he would one day be as big as Justin Bieber as she paid tribute to him on BBC Radio 4’s Today on Thursday.

The former One Direction star died after he fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Palmero hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday. He was 31.

The popstar had reportedly arrived in the Latin American country earlier this month to attend his ex bandmate Niall Horan’s concert.

TV presenter Konnie, 49, met Liam for the first time while he was a contestant on The X Factor in 2010 alongside his One Direction bandmates Niall, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson and she hosted spin-off show The Xtra Factor.

Konnie recalled how Justin Bieber appeared on The X Factor that year and she thought Liam bore a ‘striking resemblance’ to him.     

Konnie Huq told a teenage Liam Payne he would one day be as big as Justin Bieber as she paid tribute to him on BBC Radio 4’s Today on Thursday

Konnie, 49, met Liam for the first time while he was a contestant on The X Factor in 2010 and she hosted spin-off show The Xtra Factor (pictured with Zayn Malik and Harry Styles)

The former One Direction star died after he fell from the third floor of the Casa Sur Palmero hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Wednesday

She said: ‘Really all he has known in his adult and pre-adult life is being in the limelight and this position of global fame.  

‘I do remember we had Justin Bieber on the show and Liam bared a striking resemblance. We got him to come onto the show [Xtra Factor] to meet Justin and he was really embarrassed. Afterwards I told him you will be as big as him one day.

‘He absolutely did get to that level and it’s a lot for young people to take on. Your brain doesn’t actually fully mature until you are 25 and over 10 years before that his journey had already started.’

Konnie added that Liam’s death made her think of the ‘precarious’ nature of fame and people entering the spotlight at such a young age.

She said: ‘Nowadays you can’t escape that sort of pressure and that sort of fame. Which I think makes it tougher. I feel the pressure is more on modern living.

‘You do think of young stars sort of having that precarious lifestyle when they have been thrust into the spotlight at such a young age.’

‘Before they had even left he show they were getting so much fan mail. I have a photo of them in their dressing room and the walls are covered in there letters. 

‘It looked like they had already made it. Very early on it was destined that they were going to be massive.’

Konnie said: ‘Really all [Liam] has known in his adult and pre-adult life is being in the limelight and global fame’ (pictured with Harry, Liam, Zayn, Louis Tomlinson and Nial Horan)

Konnie recalled: ‘I do remember we had Justin Bieber on the show and Liam bared a striking resemblance. We got him to come onto the show [Xtra Factor] to meet Justin and he was really embarrassed. Afterwards I told him you will be as big as him one day’ 

Konnie also appeared on BBC Breakfast where she discussed how, even if someone of Liam’s stature wanted to bow out of the limelight, it would be all but impossible

Konnie also appeared on BBC Breakfast where she discussed how, even if someone of Liam’s stature wanted to bow out of the limelight, it would be all but impossible.

She said: ‘It’s so tough because when you’re at that level, you can’t opt out. There’s no semblance of living a normal lifestyle. It’s such a global world we live in now.

‘Young, famous stars having this rock’n’roll lifestyle and dying young goes back to, I don’t know, maybe even James Dean. With social media and the prevalance of the fast, frenetic consumer culture we live in, I think the problem only exacerbates.’   

The fan reaction to the band was instant, with 1D hysteria soon dwarfing The X Factor.

Despite the adoration, the band ultimately finished in third place on the X Factor but shortly afterwards Simon Cowell sealed their fate by signing the fivesome to a reported £2million Syco contract.

Just days before his death, Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy shared a touching post, dedicated to the singer.

The blonde beauty took a snap of the popstar riding horseback in the countryside.

Liam could be seen wearing a casual grey T-shirt as he sat on the horse and spoke to someone who appeared to be helping him.

Over the picture, Kate wrote: ‘I am very grateful for the simple things in life’.

Before the singer’s death, he had stared a final Snapchat post showed him happily posing with his partner Kate Cassidy as they looked into a mirror. A picture originally taken last August.

Just days before the shocking death, Liam’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy shared a touching post, dedicated to the star

The blonde beauty took a snap of the popstar riding horseback in the countryside.

Kate also shared a snap of herself on the outing with Liam

Further posts from the final moments of the star’s life showed him enjoying lunch in his hotel room, where he revealed the pair had been ‘waking up at 1pm every day’ and deciding on Forest Gump as a Halloween costume.

A further tragic selfie was captioned: ‘Lovely day in Argentina’ before the star shared a photo of his hotel, writing: ‘Happy I got some time away’ followed by a heart emoji.

He shared a further photo with Kate captioned: ‘Quality time.’

Following reports of his death city ambulance service provider spokesman Alberto Crescenti said Mr Payne had fallen around 40 metres and suffered ‘severe injuries which were incompatible with life.’

He said: ‘The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.

‘At 5.11pm an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.

On Wednesday, thousands of fans gathered outside the hotel where Liam died 

Some were pictured lighting candles and praying for the singer 

‘Afterwards we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.’

Liam began his pursuit to stardom when he initially auditioned for X Factor in 2008.

At only 14-years-old Liam impressed judges with his own version of Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra – but was later eliminated from the show.

However Liam gave his singing career another go auditioning for the competition again in 2010, where he quickly shot to fame as part of One Direction.

He and his former bandmates Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, were brought together by Simon Cowell and former judge Nicole Scherzinger who saw their potential as a group.

After releasing five albums with one of the biggest boybands of all time, Liam released his first solo album titled LP1 in 2019.

His singles Strip That Down co-written with Ed Sheeran climbed its way to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that same year.

Over the course of his music career, the popstar collaborated with the likes of J Balvin, French Montana, Dixie D’Amelio and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.

He was previously in a relationship with British pop sensation Cheryl Cole and the pair welcomed their son Bear Grey on March 22, 2017. The parents later split in 2018.

He was previously in a relationship with British pop sensation Cheryl Cole and the pair welcomed their son Bear Grey on March 22, 2017

Following his romance with the Girls Aloud singer, Liam had an on-and-off relationship with ex-fiancée Maya Henry, and the pair called it quits in May, 2022.