As she looked back on his rise to fame, Gibbins noted that she found the motivation to pass her driving test so she could always be there for him whenever he needed her.
She wrote on Instagram: “I don’t believe this is happening. Many times have I poured my heart out publicly with pride about Liam but never much about life as his sister.
“Liam is my best friend, no one could ever make me laugh as much as him, doing his impressions always had me creasing and he loved seeing how much of a laugh he could get.
Liam Payne died after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16. Photo / Mike Marsland
“He moved out when he was 17 to chase his dreams, its this that forced me to finally pass my driving test during the xfactor live show weeks because I couldn’t stand the thought of not being able to get to him. I would regularly drive to have tea with him after I finished work, just to sit around. One month the hotel was right by a wagamamas and I swear he had it morning, noon and night!
“I used to love picking him up from work when it all started, especially after concerts, speeding us away from venues or appearances, Liam plugging in his phone to show me the new songs for albums. Liam loved 1D, he loved his brothers and we talked about it so much. He would just play song after song that had been recorded but never used and we’d sit having a mini 1D concert.
“Liam knew he could call me anytime, any day and I would pick up or that I would always fetch him if he needed to just come home. Our calls would often result in me laughing at his ideas and next adventure, talking through his plans and working through his issues but it would always end with ‘love you miss you’ ‘love you ru.’”
Liam found fame alongside Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik as part of the world’s first billion-dollar boyband before going on to a solo career with hit single Strip That Down and Ruth always knew that her brother could be a star.
She said: “Liam was born with music in his veins, it was clear from a very young age he just had that quality that would make him a star. I could sit and listen to him sing all day, which is a good job really because he never bloody stopped! I will never tire of the look he gives when showing new songs, ‘listen loud’ he’d say and just grin with pride of his work.”
Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan of One Direction. Photo / Getty Images
In a second statement, Gibbins admitted that her “brain is struggling to catch up” with the events that have unfolded over the last few days and she “doesn’t understand” where her brother has gone as she spoke directly to him in the form of a letter.
She wrote: “Liam, My brain is struggling to catch up with what’s happening and I don’t understand where you’ve gone”.
Ruth continued her statement by claiming that she doesn’t feel as if the “world was good enough or kind enough” to her brother - who leaves behind son Bear, 7, from his previous relationship with Girls Aloud star Cheryl - and is “sorry” that she couldn’t save him but vowed to take care of her nephew.
“I don’t feel this world was good enough or kind enough to you, and quite often over the last few years, you’ve had to really try hard to overcome all that was being aimed at you. You just wanted to be loved and to make people happy with your music. You never believed you were good enough, I hope you can now see this outpouring of love that you never received in your time.
Liam Payne at the Fashion Awards 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
“Thank you for changing my life, thank you for the incredible memories, thank you for being the best brother and friend I’ll ever have! We’ll take care of Bear and he will always know how incredible his Dad is and how much you idolise him.
“One last time I need you to know, I’m here if you need anything, I’d drive to the end of the universe to bring you back.”
Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy has spoken out for the first time since the announcement of his death. Photo / @kateecass
Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy said yesterday that she was “at a complete loss” after the news of his death.
The 25-year-old influencer, who had been in a relationship with Payne for the past two years, wrote on Instagram: “Thank you for all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way. I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real.
“I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private.
“Liam, my angel. You are everything! I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”
Cassidy has been subject to a barrage of online abuse since Payne’s death was announced after a fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
