Niall Horan admits Lewis Capaldi is in a "tough place" after being forced to step back from touring due to his ongoing battle with Tourette's syndrome.
The 26-year-old musician - who revealed in 2022 that he'd been diagnosed with the neurological condition - announced this week that he needs to spend more time focusing on his "mental and physical health" after fans rallied behind him when he struggled during his Glastonbury Festival set on Saturday (24.06.23), which marked his first show in almost a month.
In a lengthy statement shared on social media on Tuesday (27.06.23), he said: "First of all, thank you to Glastonbury for having me, for singing along when I needed it and for all the amazing messages afterwards. It really does mean the world.
"The fact that this probably won't come as a surprise doesn't make it any easier to write, but I'm very sorry to let you all know I'm going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future.
"I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I'd hoped 3 weeks away would sort me out.
"But the truth is I'm still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette's and on Saturday it become obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come."
And his close pal Niall has revealed he's in touch with Lewis regularly and is "happy" he's doing what's best for his health, but admits it can't be easy on the star.
Niall is quoted by The Sun as saying: “I speak to Lewis most days to be honest with you.
“So I’m really happy for Lewis that he’s able to take the time that he obviously feels he needs right now.
“But performing never gets easy. I don’t think you ever truly get used to singing in front of 100,000 people.
“If you have any sort of performance anxieties or anything like that then that stage can be a tough place.”
The former One Direction star is glad to see Lewis' legions of fans supporting him, too.
He added: “We saw it at Glastonbury at the weekend when the whole crowd, 100,000 people, were right behind him.
“I think they realised how much he was struggling up there. It was a proper human moment.
“He’s not just the fella who sings and makes us laugh all the time, he’s the fella who also has anxieties and Tourette’s Syndrome and it’s coming to fruition on stage.
“So I’m glad people were right there behind him showing him support.”
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