Going from a relatively ordinary life to being part of a global phenomenon in less than a year is enough to mess with anyone's head, and it seems that even pop stars
Liam Payne has opened up about his time in One Direction, and how he struggled with mental health issues during his time in the band.
He told The Sun that there were periods where he really struggled with touring, saying: "I shouldn’t have been able to do as many shows as we did, if I’m honest about it, if I’m brutally honest about it. Going out and putting that happy smile on my face and singing the songs, honestly, sometimes it was like putting on one of those costumes, going out there and, underneath the costume, people don’t really see what’s going on."
He added that the reason for 1D's last-minute cancellation in Belfast in 2015 - when it was reported that he had 'taken ill' - was because he was struggling to cope with the split from his then-girlfriend Sophia Smith.
"I let it get to me that day," he said. "I wasn’t in a good place. And unfortunately I was going through a rough time and I let it get to me a little bit too much. That was it."
He added that the boyband's hiatus was necessary after an intense few years. "Even though I know fans are not mad about it… we needed it,” he said. “We needed a little bit of time away from each other. We needed a realisation point to find the love for it again, rather than it just becoming a job."
