Liam Payne has spoken out about a “dark” period in his life earlier this year in which he felt his fans had “turned on him”.
Earlier this year, the former One Direction star gave a now-infamous interview on Logan Paul’s podcast, which was met with a backlash from his following over comments he made about his bandmates.
Among these were shots at Zayn Malik, claims that he and Louis Tomlinson did not get on in the early stages of the group and a story about that coming to blows with one member of the band when they threw him against a wall.
He also claimed his debut single Strip That Down was the most successful solo track released by a former One Direction star and that the group was put together with “my face” in mind.
On Saturday night, before England’s game in the World Cup, Liam joked to fans that they could block him if the squad lost.
Responding to a fan who tweeted that this had made them laugh, he responded: “Thank you, I really appreciate that as it got dark for me for one point when you guys turned on me. I didn’t leave the house for three months.
“You guys know I’m sorry about all that stuff. I love my boys. Not sure what was going on with me other than I had a problem with me and I took it out on everyone else… never had a bigger chip on my shoulder and I’m really glad to lose it.
“I’m hoping that you guys can forgive me in time because we’ve been through far too much – but the jokes are funny keep em coming.”
When another fan poked fun at the fact Liam was using Twitter in a web browser rather than the site’s official app, the Bedroom Floor singer shared that he’d removed the app from his phone as he was finding it too “upsetting”.
Shortly after his Logan Paul interview was released, Liam shared a public clarification regarding his comments about Zayn.
In the months since, he has been keeping more of a low profile, but made an appearance at the British Fashion Awards earlier this week, alongside his new girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
