Liam Payne's girlfriend denies love split

Liam Payne's girlfriend has taken to Instagram.com to deny rumors the couple has split.

Speculation about the One Direction singer's relationship with his long-term girlfriend Sophia Smith emerged after Liam pulled out of the band's show in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday (20Oct15).

It was later confirmed Liam had been too ill to perform, but fans began to wonder if a love split was to blame.

Sophia reportedly deleted photos of Liam from her social media accounts on Friday (23Oct15), sparking rumors they had ended their romance, and the singer wrote in a cryptic post on Twitter.com: "I love how music is always there for you when you need it most x."

However, Sophia now appears to have to put an end to the rumors by sharing a photo of herself smiling and eating ice cream with the pop star, writing in a post on Instagram, "I love you more and more every day. #stop #the #rumors".

The couple has been dating on and off since 2013, and the relationship appears to have survived while his bandmates' romances crumbled.

Former member Zayn Malik ended his engagement to Little Mix star Perrie Edwards after leaving the group earlier this year (15), while Louis Tomlinson also found himself single after splitting from his longterm girlfriend Eleanor Calder.

Louis is now set to become a father following a fling with Los Angeles-based stylist Briana Jungwirth.

Liam and Sophia were rumored to have become engaged over the summer (15) and the hashtag "#SophiamIsEngaged" became a trending topic on Twitter.com.

However, a spokesperson for the Story of My Life star put a stop to the claims, telling GossipCop.com, "They are not engaged."

The band is due to wrap up their On The Road Again Tour at the end of the month (Oct15), and their new album, Made in the A.M. is slated for release on 13 November (15).

They are due to go on hiatus in March next year (16) to give the stars a break from their grueling schedule, which has included a succession of tours and five albums.