Brian McFadden Has Some Advice For Zayn Malik: ‘Ignore All The Showbiz Nonsense’

Since he’s been there, done that and got matching white polo neck, former Westlife star Brian McFadden has shared some advice for former One Direction star Zayn Malik, encouraging him to stay away from ‘showbiz nonsense’.

Sharing his pearls of wisdom 12 years after he walked away from Westlife, Brian says he knows ‘exactly what Zayn is going through’.

He told the Sunday People: “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. 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.”

Admitting that he doesn’t think One Direction were ‘as close’ as Westlife, Brian went on to hint that perhaps the five-piece ‘couldn’t lean on each other’ like his band could, and that that could be partly ‘why Zayn struggled to cope’.

He continued: “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.”

Having ‘surrounded himself with the right people’, Brian ‘turned everything around’, and says finding some friends outside the industry is what Zayn needs to do.

He said: “That’s probably what Zayn needs – ignore all the showbiz nonsense and find people who he can really trust.”