Liam Payne has disappointed fans with his decision not to attend the Attitude Man of the Year awards after being given the magazine's highest accolade: Sexiest Man Of The Year.
Liam is this month's cover star and was expected to attend the magazine's annual awards ceremony, but pulled out at the last minute, saying he was "gutted" he couldn't attend.
The Sun reports that the former One Direction singer cancelled when he fell sick.
He took to Twitter to announce his absence, saying: "Gutted I can't make the @AttitudeMag awards tonight as I'm sure it's going to be an amazing evening."
Following it with a second post which said: "@AttitudeMag thank you for all your support it was amazing to shoot with you and thank you for the biggest compliment in my life so far."
Liam's absence comes after he came under fire from fans on Twitter last month for admitting in his cover interview that "it drives him mad" how fans have a theory that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are in a relationship and call them 'Larry'.
Earlier we wrote...
Now that the One Direction boys have announced they’re going on a break, they’ll be spending a lot more time finding a spot in showbiz they can call their own. Liam Payne is one of the first off the starting blocks in the race for column inches, following his steamy photo shoot and no-holds-barred interview for Attitude Magazine.
In the latest issue, the 22 year old was voted Attitude's Sexiest Man Of The Year and he celebrated by posing for two different covers in smouldering poses. During the chat, Liam spoke about his future away from the band, his relationship with his girlfriend Sophia and his frustration at the One Direction fans who believe that bandmates Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are in a relationship.
Speaking about his plans for a solo career after leaving the group, Liam revealed that he was hoping to expand his DJ Payno alter ego. In recent years, Liam has indulged his love of music producing by providing remixes of various One Direction tracks, something that he is hoping to continue full-time alongside writing for other artists, including his band mates. Despite the 1D lads being some of the busiest pop stars in the business (it feels like they are forever on tour!), Liam has already written for a range musical genres, from country to rap. He said: ‘A lot of people say to me, “Oh, you’ll go solo,” but I haven’t thought about that. If the right song comes along and I think I should sing it, then I will release it as a solo artist. ‘Otherwise, I’m happy being behind the scenes.’
The star was equally relaxed about where his relationship with his girlfriend on two years Sophia Smith, 22, was heading, telling the publication that they had no plans for marriage yet. He added that both he and Sophia first wanted her to forge her own career path instead of her life revolving around him. But while Liam has a laid-back attitude to his relationship and seeing his name in lights, other topics seem to get him far more ruffled.
One of the quickest way to irritate him is to bring up ‘Larry’ - the nickname certain Directioners have for the theory that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are in a relationship. He said: ‘[It’s] absolutely nuts and drives me mad. When you know the ins and outs of what is going on with people, it’s just annoying when it’s so stupid. It becomes like a conspiracy or like a cult, the people who watch them and think that every move they make is a gesture toward them being together, and I know it’s just not true and it makes me mad.’ The comments riled some of the group’s fans, with many taking to Twitter to voice their annoyance at what they perceived as a slight. He responded with a series of tweets that read: ‘It's funny I thought people appreciated honesty these days.'
By Caroline McGuire