Long before the world had ever heard of One Direction, Brian McFadden broke teenage hearts when he dramatically quit Westlife.
And the 36-year-old singer claims he knows exactly what Zayn Malik is going through after leaving 1D last year, urging the solo star to take time out of the spotlight.
“Zayn needs to ignore all the showbiz nonsense and find people who he can really trust. I know exactly what Zayn is going through, because I had similar problems,” Brian told The Sunday People.
Advice: Brian says he knows exactly what Zayn is going though | Instagram
23-year-old Zayn recently pulled out of his first solo gig due to an anxiety attack and Brian says he had similar problems.
“After Westlife I struggled with stage fright myself. For years I was fine and then, out of nowhere, it just hit me. I don’t know what brought it on, but I just started to feel like everyone was looking at me everywhere I went and it made me very uncomfortable. My personal life was everywhere and it felt like people were judging me,” he explained.
Walked away: Brian left Westlife behind 12 years ago | VIPIRELAND
Brian – who says his low point was being booed by 10,000 people – also believes One Direction weren’t as close as Westlife and says that could be why Zayn struggled.
Zayn has since gone on to launch a wildly successful solo career while Brian, who quit Westlife 12 years ago, has joined forces with Boyzone’s Keith Duffy for a Boyzlife Tour.
