THEIR star burned so very brightly, but as One Direction’s Liam Payne revealed this week, the white heat of fame almost cost him his life.

Being part of the world’s most successful boy band turned out to be a nightmare for a young man who appeared to be living the dream.

He had global fame, a massive fortune and went on to date beautiful Cheryl Tweedy from Girls Aloud and have a baby boy together.

The world should have been Liam’s lobster but, instead of relishing the trappings of fame, he was utterly miserable and slowly dying inside.

All those wannabes who apply for The X Factor and dream of appearing on the likes of Love Island should take heed of what Liam has gone through and what he has to say.

He has burst the bubble on what it really means to be famous and revealed it can be a very dark place indeed. Of course there are rewards.

There’s money to be made if you write your own songs and don’t fall into the trap of shelling out your millions on a massive entourage, or indulging in a booze or drugs habit.

If you are the kind of person who needs to have their ego massaged then there’s the adoration of thousands of fans screaming your name in a massive stadium.

For Liam, it was simply all too overwhelming. He was only 16 years old when One Direction hit the stratosphere and his life changed overnight.

He hadn’t the chance to adjust to this new life where he was chained to four other young men he barely knew, and where every single minute of his day was filled with PR commitments and photo opportunities.

OVERWORKED & EXHAUSTED

He has stated that the band were overworked and ­completely exhausted and he had no real personal life.

You have to ask yourself, what’s the point having lots of money if you have no time to spend any of it?

And at the end of those massive gigs, the audience all go back to their friends, families and their real lives.

Often the superstar is left alone with people who are either on their payroll, or band members who they can barely stand any more.

It’s very telling that Liam, who was in conversation with SAS hero Ant Middleton, said he felt isolated and lonely even when he was surrounded by other people.

He would try to put a smile on his face so as not to disappoint his fans but, at times, Liam really struggled with his mental health. He says he feels lucky to still be alive.

His relationship with Cheryl crashed, even though they had baby Bear together and he has blamed the pressure of fatherhood for their break-up.

It was also impossible for the young parents to go out anywhere together without being hassled and photographed.

BRAVE FACE

Cracks in their relationship turned into chasms and although they tried to put a brave face on things, it was clear it was over long before the official announcement they had decided to separate.

Liam also felt pressure at becoming a dad in his early twenties and believes it messed him up.

It’s clear he didn’t feel up to the challenge and was riddled with self-doubt. Isn’t it bizarre that all of us on the outside thought he and Cheryl were living a golden life in their huge mansion with successful careers, flawless complexions, heaps of designer clothes and a perfect baby?

The reality was a nervy couple who dreaded going out of their front door and felt trapped by the fame they had chased so avidly. No wonder they couldn’t make it work.

Now the crazy days of One Direction mania have faded, Liam appears far happier. He is in a good place now. He has a steady girlfriend, is committed to being a good dad to Bear and is making up for all of the years when he was trapped in a golden cage.

Liam credits his true friends and family for saving him from a life that became unbearable.

His experiences prove that being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It is a hollow state of affairs that can make you so deeply unhappy you just want it all to stop.

Good on you, Keanu

WHAT an odd world we inhabit when a 55-year- old man dating a 46-year- old woman causes a worldwide clamour.

The man is Keanu Reeves, widely regarded as one of the kindest and most decent Hollywood stars. The woman is his friend and now partner, artist Alexandra Grant.

The reason eyebrows are being raised is because Alexandra has (gasp) silver-grey hair and looks like a 40-plus woman instead of a plastic, pneumatic Barbie doll in a wind tunnel.

Keanu, a thoughtful and sensitive man, clearly prefers the company of a mature, intelligent woman in her prime to a bubble- headed, self-centred starlet. For that, he is to be congratulated.

The actor has no need to flaunt a trophy girlfriend on his arm in order to conform to the Hollywood “leading man” baloney. The two of them clearly adore each other and, Lord knows, Keanu deserves some happiness in his life.

Ten years ago, he and his then partner Jennifer Syme went through the agony of the stillbirth of their baby girl Ava.

Two years later, Jennifer was killed in a car crash in LA. The kind and wise Alexandra is apparently one of the few people who Keanu has been able to open up to about these tragedies.

So it’s good to see him finding contentment with a woman he can trust. I wish them both all the luck in the world.

Epstein: No end in sight

PRINCE ANDREW must rue the day he ever got embroiled with his pal Jeffrey Epstein.

The scandal isn’t going away, despite strenuous denials from the Prince of any wrongdoing.

A presenter working for US network ABC this week said a story about Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was “quashed” by Buckingham Palace.

Amy Robach was recorded off-air bemoaning that her interview with Virginia Roberts, who claims she was forced by Epstein to have sex with Andrew, was blocked by royal officials three years ago.

Virginia will appear on Australian TV this weekend, again claiming she had sex with Andrew when she was a teen and dismissing suggestions that the infamous photo of the two of them together is a fake.

It is all extremely embarrassing and highly damaging for Andrew. Unlike most modern scandals, this one hasn’t run out of steam after a few days or weeks.

Many people are sceptical about how Epstein is supposed to have died in his jail cell in August, refusing to believe he took his own life. Conspiracy theories abound. There is also a sense that Virginia deserves her day in court.

Andrew can’t expect this scandal to disappear simply because he happens to be a member of the Royal Family. And I don’t believe we have seen the end of these very serious allegations.

A late Christmas from George

CHRISTMAS was ruined three years ago when George Michael was found dead aged 52.

Hearing his famous Yuletide song is still bittersweet.

Now, though, Last Christmas is the inspiration for a movie of the same name, which features some of his biggest hits, both as a solo artist and with Wham! Co-writers Emma Thompson and her husband Greg Wise have given us a sweet, poignant tale of Christmas love and loss.

London has never looked more appealing, the star-crossed lovers are funny and endearing and there is just enough social commentary without the movie becoming too “woke” and preachy.

It has received mixed reviews but as a sucker for both Christmas and George Michael, I really enjoyed it.

The twist at the end had me snuffling into a man-sized hanky.

Bright silver lining

ONE bright, silver lining amid the black cloud of the General Election build-up is the news that the UK version of RuPaul’s Drag Race has been recommissioned.

It has been a monster hit for the BBC and introduced a new audience to the wonderful world of drag.

If you aren’t easily offended and want to hoot, holler and belly-laugh, get on BBC’s iPlayer and start streaming.

Appearing on the show is my finest hour – and I can’t wait to see which queen will claim the title in next week’s final.

One loves animals

NOBODY can accuse our Queen of being out of touch. At 93 she has her finger on the pulse of pubic opinion.

This week she firmly announced that there will be no more real fur in the royal wardrobe.

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This is an important message for men and women who still think it is fashionable, elegant and acceptable to kill ­animals for their fur.

Perhaps she listened to grandsons Harry and ­William, who are horrified by animal cruelty.

Or more likely she knows that unless you are an Inuit you have no ­business wearing real fur and she respects the views of the vast majority of her people.

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