Liam Payne is back on the market. The One Direction singer has split from his girlfriend Sophia Smith, multiple sources confirm exclusively to Us Weekly. The couple dated for eight months, and first met while attending St. Peter's Collegiate School in Wolverhampton, England.
"He's devastated that it's over but it was for the best," a source tells Us of the 20-year-old. "They were spending too much time apart and it's only going to get worse this year — the band going on a super long tour, her getting busier with university."
"Too much long distance," the source adds. "It was draining for the both of them and led to a lot of arguments. Liam was the one who chose to end it." (Payne is currently on tour with his bandmates for their Where We Are tour, which kicked off last month.)
"There was no way to maintain the relationship," a second source adds. "He had to do it as they would never see each other and he didn't think it was fair to her."
Payne, for his part, has been vocal about his heartbreak, posting cryptic messages via Twitter on May 2. "Can't be without you," he wrote. "Worse thing I ever did was let you go." He added: "No all I got left is the thought of you."
Payne previously dated model and dancer Danielle Peazer on-and-off for three years before their split in May 2013.
