Rita Ora cries during emotional tribute to friend Liam Payne at MTV EMAS following tragic death

Rita Ora had an emotional moment while hosting the MTV EMAS as she remembered her old friend, Liam Payne.

The British artist lead the annual event last night (10 November), which was held at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester.

Some of music's biggest names showed up on the red carpet in designer attire, and though it is ordinarily a night of celebration, host Ora had a heartfelt moment on stage as she remembered the former One Direction member.

Liam Payne tragically passed away aged 31 on 16 October this year, after a fall from the third floor balcony at Casasur hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Three people have since been arrested in relation to the singer's death.

As fans of the late artist continued to grieve, Ora joined them, as she took time to honour his impact on the music industry while on stage for MTV.

Though it's not the first time she has got emotional in front of a crowd since Payne's passing, with her breaking down in tears while performing 'For You' - a song they performed together - at one of her shows the day after his death.

At the EMAS last night, she said: "I just want to take a moment to remember someone very, very dear to us.

Rita Ora shared some kind words about the late Liam Payne (Anthony Devlin/Getty Images for Viacom International)

"We lost him recently, and he was a big part of the MTV world and my world, and I think a lot of yours at home and everybody in here tonight. Liam Payne was one of the kindest people that I knew."

As the arena erupted into applause, the 33-year-old went on: "There were so many ways that we were talking about honouring him and I think sometimes simply speaking is enough."

She concluded: "He had the biggest heart and was always the first person to offer help in any way that he could. He brought so much joy to every room he walked into and he left such a mark on this world'."

"So, let’s just take a moment to remember our friend, Liam," Ora said, visibly struggling to finish her words.

Former One Direction member Liam Payne tragically died after a fall from a hotel balcony on 16 October (Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage)

This was then followed by a photo tribute, as black-and-white images of the singer was shown on screens around the venue, while 'Night Changes', a song by One Direction, played in the background.

In terms of awards last night, Taylor Swift scooped up the best live, best video, and best artist categories, sending in a video to be played on screens as she was not present at the event.

Ariana Grande took home the best pop category, while the best collaboration was won by LISA featuring Rosalía for 'New Woman'.

Best song went to Sabrina Carpenter for her break out hit 'Espresso', while the best UK and Ireland award went to RAYE.