Are Liam Payne and Sophia Smith Engaged?
Breaking the hearts of teenage girls everywhere, it appears that Liam Payne and his new girlfriend Sophia Smith are engaged…. or are they?
Though no official confirmation has come from either camp, fans of the hit boyband One Direction have taken to Twitter to express their shock, awe and crushing despair at Liam’s status as a groom-to-be. The cause of the commotion appears to be a set of photos showing One Direction members in intimate poses with various women.
However, some fans aren’t convinced, pointing out the similarities between the photos and still frames of One Direction’s video “Midnight Memories.”
Could it all be an elaborate hoax?
According to Unreality TV, young fangirls are “desperate to break the Vevo record with the band’s latest video.” They claim the rumors are nothing more than a wide-scale deception in order to draw hits, attention and social media buzz to the the page.
In evidence of their claim, they point out various tweets from young women that are actually just promotions for the video in disguise.
@ayemaliik is one such example, writing, “GUYS WTF LIAM SAID HE IS ENGAGED TO SOPHIA HERE IS THE VIDEO I AM SHOCKED LIAM”
Then she linked to the “Midnight Memories” video.
This isn’t the first time engagement rumors have floated around One Direction’s Irish member, especially since he and Sophia have a history of public cuteness. In January, the duo were spotted at an NBA game, cheering for the Brooklyn Nets and looking quite cozy. It’s also been revealed that Sophia was Liam’s childhood crush and high school classmate, their romance only recently rekindled in adulthood.
For all their date nights, however, the couple has also weathered various controversies. Just last month there was a flare-up on Twitter about the ownership of Liam’s dog. Having originally bought him with his ex-girlfriend, Danielle Peazer, Liam retained custody even after their break-up, prompting Danielle to complain on the social media site about never getting to see him.
Liam never commented on the matter directly, but his sister wasn’t so discreet, blasting critics for judging the situation without being personally involved.
As for Danielle, there was clearly no love lost there, as Liam’s sister made a special point of praising Sophia.
“[Liam is] currently with a girl called Sophia. She’s lovely. Maybe people should give her a chance,” she said.
As for the engagement rumors, with no official comments from Liam or his reps it looks like they’re stuck in the murky waters of unconfirmed gossip.
