One Direction star Liam Payne linked with Wolverhampton school friend
One Direction star Liam Payne is rumoured to have a new love interest – a girl he first met when they went to school together in Wolverhampton.
The One Direction heartthrob is believed to have met Sophia Smith when the pair attended St Peter's Collegiate School.
It is claimed the 19-year-old is 'smitten' with Sophia and even flew her more than 5,000 miles from her home in Wolverhampton to be with him in Los Angeles during recent shows by One Direction there.
Liam's last serious relationship was with dancer Danielle Peazer but the pair split after two years together.
The singer, from Bushbury, had hinted he was no longer on the market during an interview with GQ magazine.
Speculation had been rife on the identity of Liam's new love but it has now been revealed to be his old school friend. Sophia is believed to have been in the audience, along with Liam's parents, during the band's final US show on August 10. She was seen mingling with Eleanor Calder, the girlfriend of One Direction's Louis Tomlinson.
The news comes as Liam and his fellow bandmates prepare for the launch of their first film This Is Us, released in cinemas from August 29.
Despite his boyband status, down-to-earth Liam is often spotted returning to his home city. Most recently he stopped in at Pizza Hut in Bentley Bridge and was spotted in the audience at the Grand Theatre for Ghost: The Musical.
