One Direction star Liam Payne never shied away from sharing an honest glimpse into his life, including his health.
The star previously opened up about a condition he tackled throughout childhood and later shared he had received treatment for the ailment.
Liam, who sadly died on Wednesday (October 16), previously explained that he was born three weeks prematurely, which lead to health issues throughout his childhood.
One Direction star Liam Payne on his health issues
In his boyband’s book, Dare to Dream – Life as One Direction, which was published in 2011, Liam opened up about facing significant health challenges.
The star was born with just one properly functioning kidney, leaving him plagued with illness. Liam underwent a string of medical tests and treatments and even endured 32 injections daily to address the issues with his kidney function. Because of this, the star had to watch his fluid intake.
I have to be careful not to drink too much, even water.
“They discovered that one of my kidneys wasn’t working properly, and it had scarred. I had to have 32 injections in my arm in the morning and evening to try and make me better.
“I’ve still got both kidneys but one doesn’t work so I have to be careful not to drink too much, even water, and I have to keep myself as healthy as possible,” he explained in the book.
Liam Payne’s hospitalisation
Just last year, Liam was hospitalised due to a severe kidney infection. He told fans at the time: “It’s with a heavy heart I have to tell you that we have no other choice but to postpone my upcoming tour of South America.
“Over the past week I’ve been in hospital with a serious kidney infection. It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and doctors orders are that I now need to rest and recover.”
He went on to say: “To all of you who have bought tickets, I’m so sorry. We’re working to reschedule the tour as soon as we possibly can, but for now we will be refunding the tickets. So, please look out for updates from your point of purchase.
“Thanks as always for the love and support, and look forward to seeing you soon.”
‘Effectively dead’
Liam, who shared a son with singer Cheryl Tweedy, detailed in 2011 that he was “effectively dead” at birth, stating: “Weird, I know. The doctors couldn’t get any reaction from me so I had to be brought around and although it seemed like I was okay, there was underlying problems.”
The star admitted to suffering a battle with addiction in recent years, which first began when he was a part of One Direction.
Speaking to The Diary of the CEO podcast in 2021, he said: “It was really, really, really severe. It was a problem.”
He detailed: “In the band… the best way to secure us, because of how big we’d got, was just to lock us in our rooms. What’s in the room? A mini-bar. At a certain point I thought, I’m just going to have a party for one. And that seemed to carry on for many years of my life. Then you look back at how long you’ve been drinking and you’re like: ‘Jesus Christ, that’s a long time.'”
Liam died after falling from height in Argentina. Police have said that “white powder”, prescription drugs and alcohol were found in his trashed room.
Read more: Liam Payne’s girlfriend’s heartbreaking final message about him days before his tragic death
Share your memories of Liam on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.