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Sunday, June 26, 2016 3:53am ET by  
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Brian McFadden advises Zayn to 'ignore the showbiz nonsense'

Singer Brian McFadden, who found fame as one fifth of boyband Westlife and then quit the group in 2004, has revealed that he knows how Zayn Malik felt when he decided to walk away from One Direction. 

McFadden told the Sunday People that fame is really difficult to navigate and he understands how Malik must have been feeling to make such a bold choice:

“I know exactly what Zayn is going through, because I had similar problems. But it’s only now, more than a decade later, that I can really understand what happened. We had it all – money, fame, beautiful women, amazing cars – but in the end it just wasn’t making me happy."

“At the end I found I was taking myself away from everyone. One day I just jumped on a plane to Australia without telling the others because I couldn’t stand any more. I just told the tour manager, who was shocked and insisted we had promotional stuff to do, but I just couldn’t face it."

He added: “The rest of the lads were annoyed, obviously, but I couldn’t explain how I was feeling and just heading off away made it easier. When I quit I felt like I was letting people down – but I just had to get out.”

McFadden went onto address the tension within bands that can cause members to leave: "In Westlife we were friends before we were famous, but I’m not sure One Direction were quite as close. Maybe they couldn’t lean on each the way we did and that might be part of why Zayn struggled to cope."

 

 

“After Westlife I struggled with stage fright myself. For years I was fine and then, out of nowhere, it just hit me [...] I have never believed in therapists as such, but I managed to make one or two very good friends outside the industry and talked about all my problems."

“One worked in the oil business – we were in such different worlds that it really worked. They’re the people who helped me turn everything around. That’s probably what Zayn needs – ignore all the showbiz nonsense and find people who he can really trust.”

Malik, meanwhile, has been enjoying a successful solo career but recently cancelled a live performance at the Summertime Ball minutes before he was due to take the stage at Wembley due to crippling anxiety. 

Do you think Zayn would be great on Carpool Karaoke? You can vote for him in our new readers' poll now! Click here to get involved. 

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Watch McFadden and Malik in action below:

 

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