Liam Payne’s girlfriend has said his death was a “tragic accident” and he was in “such a good headspace” when she left him in Argentina.

Kate Cassidy was with Payne in Buenos Aires but flew back to the US days before the One Direction star was killed in a fall from a hotel balcony.

She told The Sun: “Love is so optimistic, and you just hope that everything will work out at the end.

“Obviously if I knew, if I could see into the future, I would never have left Argentina.”

The American influencer said she had to get back to look after the couple’s dog, Nala.

“I had a responsibility, we had a responsibility. We had our dog and obviously I never, ever thought this event would occur,” she said.

Cassidy added: “It was a tragic accident and no, I never did think [he might die young]. But, you know, we did have our own separate lives – this wasn’t the first time we have travelled separately.

“I just never thought this would have happened, that it would turn out the way it did.”

Payne died aged 31 on 16 October from multiple injuries after falling from the third floor of a hotel in the Argentine capital.

Three people have been charged with manslaughter over his death, and two with supplying cocaine.

Cassidy, 25, said she thinks about Payne “every second of every day” and that she’d had a “childhood crush” on him since she was 10.

The pair got together in 2022 and she told The Sun it still doesn’t seem “fully real for me that he’s not here”.

“From the moment I met Liam, I genuinely believed we were soulmates,” said Cassidy.

“He was the most humble, charming, normal person you could ever hope to come across, and genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life.”

She said the Wolverhampton-born singer “was in such a good headspace” when she left Argentina.

“We were in such a great place, just full of love; he was so happy and positive. And I just can’t even believe the way things truly ended,” she said.

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Cassidy said she was glad she didn’t discover he’d died via social media, revealing one of Payne’s friends had called her to break the news.

“That moment, it’s like blank; it’s blacked out in my head,” she added.

“I didn’t believe it at first. I thought it was just a rumour. Or something that somebody made up just to get views.”

Payne’s funeral took place in November in Buckinghamshire, with his former bandmates and ex-partner Cheryl among the mourners.

Steve Coogan has avoided a driving ban after pleading with the judge that it would impact his upcoming TV show.

The Alan Partridge actor, 59, was caught doing 97mph on the M6 near Telford on 29 July last year.

Coogan already had six points on his licence – so a further six would have seen him disqualified.

But in a letter to Birmingham Magistrates Court, he stressed that a ban would result in the next series of his sitcom The Trip being “severely impacted”, according to the Evening Standard.

“I am due to appear in a well-established TV series called The Trip (with Rob Brydon) which as the title suggests requires me to drive,” his letter read.

He added that other “important film commitments” this year also require him to drive.

“These projects would be severely impacted, not only affecting my own livelihood but also the many individuals dependent on these productions for work,” he wrote.

“These include camera, sound, and lighting technicians, riggers, and others on modest wages who would face cancellations and financial hardship, as rescheduling such projects is often highly complicated.”

Coogan implored the judge to impose five points instead of six – which after he pleaded guilty – was eventually agreed upon on 30 January.

He was also fined £2,500, given a £1,000 surcharge, and forced to pay £90 in costs.

The Trip’s director Michael Winterbottom has previously said there would not be a fifth series – but Coogan’s court correspondence suggests otherwise.

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The series sees Coogan and Brydon playing caricatures of themselves – travelling around the likes of Italy, Spain and the UK.

He wrote a similar letter in 2019 after he was caught speeding, telling the judge the new series of Alan Partridge would be disrupted if he was disqualified.

Ultimately he was banned – but for only two months instead of the usual six – meaning the show could go ahead.

He was previously banned for 28 days in 2016 for driving almost twice the 30mph speed limit in Brighton.

New stamps are going to be issued to mark the 50th anniversary of AC/DC’s debut album, the Royal Mail has said.

The group introduced themselves to the world with the electrifying High Voltage in 1975, before going onto become one of the most successful rock bands of all time.

To mark 50 years since its initial release, the Royal Mail has said it will issue eight stamps that capture a sample of the “electrifying” live performances of the band.

A further four stamps presented in a miniature sheet will feature the covers of High Voltage as well as Highway To Hell, their sixth studio album released in 1979; Back In Black, the best-selling rock album of all time, and Power Up, the band’s return in 2020.

The stamps go on sale from 18 February.

AC/DC will become the eighth music band to feature in a dedicated Royal Mail stamp issue.

They will follow on from The Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016, Queen in 2020, The Rolling Stones in 2022, Iron Maiden in 2023, Spice Girls in 2024, and The Who also in 2024.

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David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said: “AC/DC is one of the most successful rock bands in the world.

“Over the past half-century, they have recorded some of the best-known rock anthems and have given us Back In Black – the biggest-selling rock album of all time.

“These stamps capture a sample of their electrifying live performances, along with some of their most iconic album covers, and celebrate their significant contribution to the world of rock music.”

Here are the eight anniversary stamps below:

And the four-stamp miniature sheet: