One Direction’s Liam Payne Reveals Heavy Drinking & ‘Pretty Bad Stage’

Liam Payne was almost dragged down by his drinking, but the One Direction member was able to rise up and kick the habit.

“I started drinking a lot and I began to get a bit tubbier,” Liam told U.K.’s Attitude magazine. “In fact, because of that I was getting fat jibes all the time, which hurt me…I’m not afraid to say I went through a pretty bad stage. And for that time in my life, that was perfect for me. That’s what I wanted to do and so I enjoyed myself.”

After showing up to an event with fans “a little bit drunk,” Liam’s loved ones stepped in.

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“There were just a few times that I went over the limit with things and then I had to pull it back,” he revealed. “I was very fortunate that I had lots of great people around me who said to me, ‘Look Liam, you need to chill out a bit now.'”

The 22-year-old, who no longer drinks, takes responsibility for his past mistakes.

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“I’m not here to be a role model,” Liam explained. “It’s a difficult thing to place pressure on you when you’re so young. I’m going to mess up from time to time. Everyone does. I’m only human, and sometimes I let my guard down a little too much.”

And despite 1D’s upcoming hiatus (much to the fans’ dismay), Liam is looking forward to going out there on his own for a bit.

“I realize now this is the time to start branching out and exploring,” he said. “This won’t last forever, and there will be a point when we will break off and do our own things, but… we will work together again.”

— Jesse Spero