Liam Payne uses his old One Direction bandmate Louis Tomlinson as a sounding board when he's struggling with his mental health and the pressures of fame.
The Strip That Down singer struggled with an alcohol problem after the band went on hiatus at the end of 2015, but got sober when he felt he was becoming dependent on booze.
In an interview with U.K. TV show This Morning on Thursday, Liam revealed that although One Direction has "never really discussed" how fame affected them, he leans on Louis for help as the Miss You singer has dealt with both fame and the personal tragedies of the death of his mother and sister.
"I speak to Louis a lot and he's had obviously had a crazy few years, more so than anyone, a very sad few years for him actually, but he's doing amazing," the 26-year-old said. "It's transformed him into the most beautiful human being ever. I love spending time with him and it's nice to reach out to someone who has been through that same experience."
After struggling with the loneliness of his popstar lifestyle Liam also went to therapy and additionally got help from former addict Russell Brand, who attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with him.
"I was sober for about a year and went and visited Russell Brand actually, which was quite amazing," he explained. "We went down to meetings together and spoke about different things and it was just quite nice.
"I think for anybody out there who's having a problem with mental health or something and that struggle, the best thing is to just go and speak to someone. If you go through it by yourself, you're your own soundboard. And we're all just as crazy as the next person. You need someone to validate your experience almost."
Happily, Russell and Louis have helped the singer get his life back on track and he releases his debut solo album, LP1, on Friday.
