Friends of Liam Payne have reportedly spoken out after the singer was rushed to hospital in Italy with “agonising” kidney pain.
The One Direction star, 30, was on a “downward spiral” after “struggling” during his time in the band and adjusting to the level of fame that came with it, it is claimed.
A source told The Sun: “It doesn’t come as a huge surprise — his lifestyle has been on a bit of a downward spiral for a while.
“Liam struggled so much in the band due to the heavy workload and being in the spotlight.
“He was just a normal lad before One Direction, so living life in this bubble felt alien to him and the restrictions really took their toll.
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“His partying since the band’s break could well be a reaction to this.”
It was reported on Tuesday that Liam, who shares son Bear with ex Cheryl, became ill during a trip to Lake Como with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy.
He was reportedly rushed to A&E in an ambulance in need of emergency treatment. He was then kept overnight and is expected to stay for several days, according to the aforementioned publication.
His hospital dash comes weeks after he was forced to cancel his first solo tour after being hospitalised with a serious kidney infection.
Liam’s mum, Karen, has now said that she is “worried sick” and feels “helpless” as her son is in another country.
She told MailOnline: “We are all worried sick about it but we just have to get on. It’s horrible – him being all the way over there.
“He’s in Milan and it sounds like he’ll be there for a week. I feel helpless.”
Sources said on Tuesday that Liam was in a “bad way” but that doctors were hoping to “get to the bottom of what is going on”.
They concluded to The Sun: “Doctors have warned him not to expect to be signed off to go home for at least another six days.
“They want to do every test possible to understand the issue fully but they now suspect that there has been an underlying issue for a while that has been getting worse.”
Express.co.uk has contacted Liam Payne’s representatives for comment.