Adrian Chiles’s decision to wear a West Brom coat to Liam Payne’s funeral was a touching tribute to the late star.
Payne died aged 31 on October 16 from a head injury after falling from the third floor balcony of a hotel room he was staying in while holidaying in Buenos Aires.
He was laid to rest today (November 20) at a church service held in the Home Counties attended by his family and close friends.
Among the mourners were Payne’s One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.
His former partner Cheryl Tweedy was also in attendance with their seven-year-old son Bear.
While most mourners opted for traditional smart black attire, Chiles stood out in pictures sporting a Baggies long coat.
Payne - who was born in nearby Wolverhampton - was a passionate football fan and a season ticket holder at The Hawthorns.
Former Match of the Day 2 host Chiles - who is a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live - previously opened up on air about how their mutual love of the beautiful game and their team, West Bromwich Albion, brought them together.
"I got to know him when he first did X Factor," Chiles, 57, explained.
"He came up to me and said 'up the Albion' - he was a West Brom fan. Just as a sign as to how massive he was, I remember we snuck him into a Boxing Day game and I think his mum and dad came and sat with me.
"But we managed to secrete our man up in the commentary gantry so he didn't get bothered. Then a friend of mine texted me to ask 'why are West Brom trending number one on Twitter?' I went, ‘well it could be because Liam Payne is here and he tweeted he was here and the whole world went mad for it.’"
Following Payne’s death, West Brom shared a tribute to him on social media.
“We’re shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Baggies fan and musician Liam Payne,” they wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Our thoughts are with Liam’s family, friends and loved ones at this tragic time,” they added, followed by blue and white heart emojis.
