Liam Payne death: One Direction star's girlfriend Kate Cassidy received death threats and was branded a gold-digger when he died

The 25-year-old influencer, who had been in a relationship with the tragic One Direction star for two years, deactivated her social media accounts after facing abuse online – including criticism over her appearance at Liam’s funeral in November.

Liam, 31, died in October after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Now his girfriend says the late singer’s words of encouragement have helped her deal with the backlash.

Kate told The Sun in her first interview since Liam’s tragic death: “One hate comment is equivalent to a hundred nice comments so it’s hard but I understand that.

“Liam would want me to be as strong as I can be, and just have a thick skin.

“That’s one thing he always taught me. He grew up in this life, and he always was just so positive about it and said, ‘Don’t let any hate get to you’.”

Kate also praised One Direction fans for their support but admitted the band’s fanbase made their fame intense.

She said: “I understand that some of the more negative comments come from a place of loving Liam, and concern, and caring for Liam.

“So I understand that because I love Liam too. But for sure it’s hard because obviously any criticism will get to you.”

She confirmed she had received death threats and abusive messages in the wake of Liam’s shock passing, adding: “That’s why I had to delete social media for a bit, and still sometimes I’ll take a break from it.”

Kate and Liam lived together in a multi-million-pound rented mansion in Florida before his death. She has since returned to her family home in New Jersey.

Reports in the US claimed she received a £20,000 monthly “living allowance” from Liam – allegations she described as intrusive.

She hit back: “Obviously after his death there was a lot of speculation, and things that were said about me, and I was getting called certain labels.

“Liam and I had a relationship where I couldn’t possibly work a nine to five job with his work and his lifestyle and I moved across the world to be with him.”

Liam’s funeral, held at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, was attended by the late singer’s former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.

Kate was accompanied by her model friend Damian Hurley but faced criticism from some social media users over her appearance at the service.

She defended her decision to wear make-up on the day, telling The Sun: “People are going to say things no matter what. I genuinely wanted to just look beautiful for my boyfriend one last time; that’s how he would want to see me, and that’s how I would want him to see to remember me by.”

Kate also said the service was “beautiful” and that Payne’s former bandmates were “lovely” to her.