Ant Middleton pays tribute to 'little brother' Liam Payne as he says his death is a 'tragic loss'

Ant Middleton has paid tribute to Liam Payne, calling him his "little brother", just hours after the former One Direction star's death at the age of 31 was confirmed

Ant Middleton, the former star of SAS: Who Dares Wins, has paid a heartfelt tribute to ex-One Direction member Liam Payne, who tragically passed away at the young age of 31.

The two forged a close friendship during the filming of a documentary, with Ant regarding Liam as his "little brother". Shortly after the news emerged, Ant joined ITV's Good Morning Britain from Australia via video link, where he had been promoting his new documentary and received the heartbreaking news live on air.

Speaking to Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway, he expressed his shock and sorrow, saying: "I was just shocked, I was lost for words to be honest. He was such a positive outgoing guy who I believed just lacked a sense of belonging when he left the band."

He reflected on their shared experiences, noting: "And when we did our special together in Namibia I could relate with that because when I left the military I sort of lost my sense of belonging. We had a great conversation on how that sense of belonging is lost and we try and re-identify ourselves and re-establish ourselves and we became very, very close after that and he would call me. I only lived about an hour away from him so I'd jump in a car and go to his and we'd have lunch and spend some evenings together and we just built that brotherly bond together."

Ant also commented on Liam's dedication and focus, particularly when training for Soccer Aid as the England team captain, which Ant saw as Liam finding his "new belonging" post-One Direction, reports the Mirror.

"I believe once those things left him he was looking for something again. It was sad to see him bumping his head against a brick wall sometimes."

Ant detailed how Liam had a passion for painting and drawing, describing him as "incredible" in this field. He also mentioned that Liam often considered reuniting with his former boy band, an idea that always brought a spark to his eyes.

"There was talk always of getting the boy band back together and when there was talk of that he lit up, his face lit up - that really was his belonging and I believe his safe haven."

Ant further described Liam as a "proud dad" to son Bear, whom he shares with Cheryl Cole. "When he spoke about Bear his face lit up and I was privy to photos he showed me."

Liam tragically lost his life after falling from a balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday around 5pm local time.

Ant and Liam's friendship began at the opening of Mark Wahlberg's Wahlburgers restaurant in Covent Garden, London. This led to them creating a TV documentary together, which involved deep and honest conversations about fatherhood, drinking, and relationships.

The pair filmed without any camera crew, mobile service, or fans present.

Good Morning Britain is on ITV1 weekdays at 6am and on ITVX