The touching moment Girls Aloud stars embraced as they supported bandmate Cheryl at Liam Payne’s funeral

Footage has emerged showing the emotional moment Girls Aloud stars Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh embraced as they attended Liam Payne’s funeral.

The One Direction star was buried in a moving ceremony on Wednesday after his death last month after falling from the third floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

Both Nicola and Kimberley were seen arriving at the service to support their bandmate Cheryl, and they hugged each other lovingly as they entered the church.

When they arrived for the moving service, Nicola was there too greeted with a kiss by Simon Jonesthe former One Direction PR who now performs for her bandmate Cherylmother of Liam’s son Bear.

Other mourners greeted her as they stood at the entrance of the church waiting for the doors to open.

The road outside the church was closed to traffic and mourners were dropped off at a side door before walking past headstones to the main entrance.

The two stars attended to support their bandmate Cheryl, who said an emotional farewell to her ex Liam during the service

Liam, pictured in Dubai last year, was buried on Wednesday after his death last month after falling from the third floor balcony of a Buenos Aires hotel

The arrivals were carefully managed by the private security company.

A small crowd of spectators had gathered, but most were locals and not young One Direction fans.

Harry Styles, 30, Niall Horan, 31, Zayn Malik, 31, and Louis Tomlinson, 32, were all in attendance at what was believed to be their first public gathering as a group since their last concert in 2015. Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy, 25, was also present.

A church source said a choir and musicians performed during the service. One of the floral displays features bowling pins and a ball – a nod to his love of bowling, which Kate said he did four times a week.

The location of the funeral was a closely guarded secret and local residents only realized the funeral was taking place when ‘no parking’ signs were posted around the church.

Two traffic enforcement officers patrolled the area and issued tickets to drivers who ignored the signs.

Liam traveled to Argentina in September, where he saw former bandmate Niall Horan perform as well as his good friend Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores. He had extended his stay to renew his US visa when the tragedy occurred.

The entrance to the church where the service takes place is decorated with candle lanterns and white roses arranged in the surrounding shrubs.

Both Nicola and Kimberley were seen arriving at the service to support their bandmate Cheryl, and they hugged each other lovingly as they entered the church.

Nicola and Kimberley were among the first mourners to arrive at Liam Payne’s funeral

A source said this The sun: ‘His family has gone to great lengths to put together the perfect service and give him the farewell he deserves.

‘Liam may have been a global superstar, but for Geoff and Karen he will always be their little boy. It will be an extremely difficult day.’

In a joint statement released after Payne’s death, Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry said they were ‘completely devastated’.

“In due time, and when everyone is able, there will be more to say,” they said.

“But for now, we will take time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, whom we loved dearly.

“The memories we shared with him will be cherished forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and the fans who loved him alongside us.

‘We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam – Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry.’

Louis, Harry and Zayn all later released separate tributes.

Styles wrote on Instagram that he was “truly devastated” and will “always miss him.”

“His greatest joy was making other people happy and it was an honor to stand next to him as he did that.