Adrian Chiles defended from mockery over Liam Payne funeral outfit
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Adrian Chiles is receiving support for his clothing selection at Liam Payne's funeral, following ridicule from uninformed users on social media.
On Wednesday, November 20, One Direction member Payne was buried in a private ceremony with his family and former bandmates, one month after he passed away at the age of 31.
Other attendees included Cheryl, the former partner of Payne and mother to their son Bear, along with her Girls Aloud bandmates Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. Additionally, Simon Cowell, the music industry mogul who found Payne on The X Factor, was there as well.
Another well-known figure at the funeral was British television host and DJ, Chiles. When he arrived in Buckinghamshire, photos began to circulate online, highlighting him in a distinctive football jacket adorned with a West Brom badge.
When several people expressed their confusion over Chiles's choice of clothing and started to poke fun at the former Match of the Day 2 presenter, it became clear that he was actually friends with Payne. Their friendship was strengthened by their mutual passion for the football team.
Fans of Payne described it as a “lovely gesture” and a “suitable homage” in response to viral posts on X/Twitter that poked fun at the host.
Writer Charlie Herbert remarked, "At first glance, you might find this a bit amusing and strange. But once you discover that he and Liam attended West Brom games together, it transforms into a heartfelt tribute. What a wonderful person."
One user commented: “At first, I had no clue how they were connected, but this is such a lovely gesture from Chiles.”
Chiles frequently went to matches alongside Payne, a habit that began soon after the singer made his debut on The X Factor in 2010.
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In an interview with the BBC, Chiles shared, "I met him when he first appeared on X Factor. He approached me and said, 'Up the Albion' because he was a West Brom supporter. To illustrate just how significant he was, I recall that we managed to sneak him into a game on Boxing Day. His parents ended up sitting with me during the match."
"We successfully hid our guy in the commentary booth so he wouldn't be disturbed. Then a friend reached out to me asking, 'Why is West Brom the top topic on Twitter?' I replied, 'It might be because Liam Payne is in town and he tweeted about it, which sent everyone into a frenzy.'"
