Earlier this week, One Direction fans received a shock after being told that Zayn Malik had quit the band's On The Road Again tour due to stress and now

Dr Sandi Mann, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, told The Independent newspaper that the pressures of fame genuinely can overwhelm people and take a toll on them physically:

When you are a high profile celeb in the public eye, the stresses and strains are likely to be enormous. Many ‘ordinary’ people think that it must be easy street at the top, but there are different pressures; living in a goldfish bowl where your every action, word, tweet and nose-scratch is observed, commented on and shared must present an enormous strain."

Dr. Mann added that being honest and telling the public you need time out because you aren't coping well with it is very hard to do: “It is also harder to admit you are not coping – it is hard for anyone to admit that, but when you are such a public figure, you know that the intense interest that such an admission will generate will be massive."

"Stress and mental ill health are major issues today, especially with young people. We need to teach young people to cope with stress and mental health problems in schools so I hope this will help raise awareness for young people and the general public."

Dr Georgina M. Hosang, an expert in life stress and depression at Goldsmiths University, also spoke about Malik's recent decision to leave the tour: “We all experience stress at some point in our lives but there are some professionals which are more pressured. Being a celebrity, particularly a music artist, is a demanding career path which often requires long days, high productivity and media scrutiny. Lack of sleep and being subjective to public criticism is likely to impact on one's mood and self-esteem.”

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Watch footage of Malik talking about his hairstyle here: