Former X Factor star confesses he understands how Liam Payne ‘spiralled out of control’ in ruthless music industry that encourages you to ‘never show the cracks’

X Factor star Sean Smith has opened up about Liam Payne’s tragic death as he admitted he could see the star ‘spreading out of control’ after entering the music industry.

The singer, who was one half of brother and sister duo Same Difference, appeared on the ITV show in 2007 and met Liam when he supported them in their early days.

Liam died on October 16 at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

His sudden death has sent shockwaves through the music industry and highlighted the pressure placed on young pop stars thrust into the spotlight.

Speak with The sunSean admitted that drugs are rife in the industry, as he explained: “You could see how easily you get into that world and how it can get out of control.”

Shocked by the news, he confessed that he thought it was a celebrity death hoax: “I couldn’t figure out how he got there, he was so talented, grounded and from such an amazing family that I just couldn’t understand .’

Liam died on October 16 at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina (pictured during an X Factor audition in 2010)

Sean shot to fame alongside his sister Sarah on The X Factor when they were put together by producers to form bubblegum pop group Same Difference.

Having experienced the feeling of fitting into the mold of something you are not, Sean explained that he struggled with always seeming “perfect.”

“We were told, ‘It’s always sunny in the world of Same Difference, always.’ YYou always have a big smile when you get papped. When you do an interview, even if there are cracks in it, you should never show them’.

Sean recalled speaking to Liam on an X Factor tour bus when they were traveling together and the star confessed he had been put through to play in a band, rather than as a solo artist.

At the age of 14, Liam auditioned for the first time on the X Factor, where he impressed the judges with a soulful rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon.

Liam spoke with a thick Wolverhampton accent before his audition and made his passion for music clear.

“I should really focus on my [school] work, but I just think too much about singing,” he said. “It’s a dream and I would love to do it.”

Liam returned two years later in 2010, as Simon Cowell requested, and initially auditioned as a solo act, singing Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being given a second chance as part of a group at Bootcamp.

Sean admitted: ‘You always have a big smile when you get papped. When you do an interview, even if there are cracks, you should never show them’ (pictured in August 2022)

Sean formed one half of brother and sister duo Same Difference alongside his sister Sarah when the pair appeared on the ITV show in 2007.

Experiencing the feeling of trying to fit into the mold of something you are not, Sean explained that he struggled to always seem ‘perfect’ (One Direction in 2011)

At the age of 14, Liam auditioned for the first time on the X Factor, where he impressed the judges with a soulful rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, but he didn’t make the cut.

Sean recalled speaking to Liam on an X Factor tour bus when they were traveling together and the star confessed he had been put through to play in a band, rather than as a solo artist.

It was here that he met his future One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson – and despite only coming third in the show, they became one of the biggest pop groups in the world.

An autopsy report confirmed that Payne died of traumatic brain injuries after striking the base of his skull on a concrete umbrella base after falling from a third-floor balcony.

Reports in late November suggested Liam had antidepressants in his system when he died – and that a psychiatrist had warned she could no longer treat him effectively amid his recurring crises.

Toxicology tests showed Payne had cocaine in his urine, blood, stomach and nasal passages. The antidepressant sertraline, sold in the US as Zoloft, was also in his system.

Previous reports suggested Payne may have taken so-called ‘pink cocaine’ – a psychoactive party drug popular in Ibiza consisting of ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA and heroin.

Liam was revealed earlier this week Called hotel employees ‘all the time’ to ask alcohol and advice on where to buy cocaine shortly before he died and offered an escort $5,000 to visit him, a newly unearthed prosecution file shows.

In the weeks following his death, police launched an extensive investigation into his death; Five people have been charged, including several hotel employees and Argentine businessman Roger Nores, who denies being a suspect.

Esteban Grassi, the head receptionist who is now under formal investigation, claimed Payne called “insistently” to request alcohol and where he could get cocaine – allegedly insulting a co-worker who said he couldn’t help.

In addition, there were text messages allegedly exchanged between Liam and an escort, in which he offered her $5,000 (£3,900) to ‘party’.