Liam Payne reveals he finished 100 days in rehab: ‘I was in bad shape’

Liam Payne has a new outlook on life after spending 100 days in rehab.

The former One Direction member addressed fans for the first time in several months in a new YouTube video, giving an update on how he's doing.

The 29-year-old, who was hardly recognizable with longer hair, apologized for being MIA recently. But he explained that his time away was necessary.

"I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself actually because I kind of became somebody who I didn’t really recognize anymore. And I’m sure you guys didn’t either," he said.

During a June 2022 interview with podcaster Logan Paul, Payne criticized his former bandmates and said he "dislike(d)" Zayn Malik. Looking back on his statements now, the singer said he has a lot of perspective on why he said what he did.

"I think for me, a lot of what I said just came from the wrong place. I was so angry at what was going on around me and instead of taking a look inwards, I decided to look outwards at everybody else. And I just think, yeah, I just took it out on everybody else, which is just wrong, really," Payne said.

An apologetic Payne explained that he was experiencing “frustrations” with his own career at the time and added that his bandmates "really stuck by" him.

"When I needed them the most, they kind of came to my rescue, even Zayn as well," he said.

Payne described his interview with Paul as "a little bit cringe" and said he had to go away for a little bit "to kind of get better."

"It's probably one of those life-changing moments that saved my life in a way," he said.

At rehab, Payne went without his phone for nearly 100 days and he said the experience was completely rejuvenating.

"I was in bad shape up until that point and I was really happy more than anything when I arrived to kind of put a stopper on life and work," he said.

The singer has also stopped drinking and said he has been sober for almost six months.

“It’s good to be in this position,” he said. “I definitely don’t need those things anymore. The party’s over.”

Now that he's out of rehab, Payne said he's been "trying to get to know this new guy" he has become and he's focused on being a great father to his 6-year-old son, Bear.

"There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve nothing to teach," he said. “I don’t think up until this point I really had much to say to him other than just caring for him deeply and loving him very deeply, which are obviously the most important things.”

Payne, who said he will be returning to the stage soon for a South American tour, emphasized that he's in a much better place these days.

“I just kind of feel like I’ve got more of a grip on life now and everything that was kind of getting away from me,” he said. “I kind of have got more of a handle on it.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com