Liam Payne Says He and Fiancée Maya Henry Are 'Very Happy' and Have Come Out of COVID 'Stronger'

Samir Hussein/WireImage Liam Payne and Maya Henry

Liam Payne has found a silver lining in the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a brief split from model Maya Henry, the 28-year-old singer told PEOPLE that the two are still engaged and that their time in quarantine ultimately brought them closer together.

"She's still my fiancée," Payne said alongside Henry at the Taste the Future Luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday. "We're still here together, and we're very, very happy at the moment. Probably the happiest we've been."

RELATED: Liam Payne and Maya Henry Seen Leaving Luxury Yacht in St. Tropez Months After Ending Engagement

The former One Direction singer was first linked to Henry, 22, in 2018. The pair confirmed their romance in September 2019, and Payne popped the question to the model in August 2020.

The two then called it quits in June of last year, with Payne saying on The Diary of a CEO podcast that he's "just not been very good at relationships." But it wasn't long until they were spotted out together two months later in St. Tropez and eventually returned to the red carpet as a couple that October in London.

RELATED VIDEO: Liam Payne Reveals He's Been in Contact with His One Direction Bandmates While in Self-Isolation

"I think we went through a lot in COVID," Payne told PEOPLE at Thursday's event, which he co-hosted. "I feel like we've come out the other side of it a bit stronger."

He added that as a "couple that's gone through COVID together," the majority of their time in quarantine was spent with each other. "Most couples who have been married for years struggled, right?" he said. "So, I mean, we're still really happy to be here together today."

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Payne shares 5-year-old son Bear Grey with his ex Cheryl, whom he dated from late 2015 to July 2018.