MUMBAI: One Direction star Liam Payne has opened up about the darker sides to the boy bands success and said performing often felt like ‘putting on a costume’ on stage.

"I shouldn't have been able to do as many shows as we did, if I'm honest about it, if I'm brutally honest about it," Payne told thesun.co.uk.

"Going out and putting that happy smile on my face and singing the songs, honestly, sometimes it was like putting on one of those costumes, going out there and, underneath the costume, people don't really see what's going on," he added on the struggle that came amid his split from former girlfriend Sophia Smith.

Payne came into spotlight alongside Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik on The X Factor in 2010, after which they started the band One Direction.

(Source: IANS)