Ant Middleton describes 'tragic loss' as he pays tribute to 'little brother' Liam Payne on GMB

Former SAS: Who Dares Wins star Ant Middleton has paid tribute to former star Liam Payne following his death at the age of just 31.

The pair became firm friends when they made a documentary together and Ant saw him as his "little brother". Just hours after the news broke, Ant appeared on ITV's via a video link from where he had received the devastating news live on air while promoting his new documentary.

He told Richard Madeley and his death was "a tragic loss". He said: "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.

"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 build that brotherly bond together."

Ant went on to describe how "focused" Liam was when he was training for Soccer Aid when he was captain for the England team, which Ant described as his "new belonging" after One direction.

"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 described how Liam loved painting and was "incredible" at painting and drawing and wanted to get into that but was "jumping" from things. "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 also described Liam as a "proud dad" to son Bear with Cheryl Cole. "When he spoke about Bear his face lit up and I was privy to photos he showed me."

Liam was found dead after falling from a balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday around 5pm local time.

Ant and Liam first met at the opening of Mark Wahlberg's Wahlburgers restaurant in Covent Garden, London. They went on to make a TV documentary together. The documentary forced long, candid discussions about fatherhood, drinking, and relationships between the two famous men. The pair had no camera, no cell service, and no fans.

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