Niall Horan is glad is life has "slowed down" since One Direction went on hiatus.
The chart-topping boy band decided to take a break in late 2015, and whilst each member – including Niall, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and former member Zayn Malik – has decided to pursue a solo career, the Irish hunk is glad his life isn’t as hectic as it used to be.
He said: "I used to be sheltered in a way, like if I wanted to go shopping in the afternoon, I’d have to think about what time kids finished school, and I’d probably end up staying at home and watching TV. Now I can do normal stuff like playing five-a-side on a Thursday and just getting to know London a bit more and using the Tube.
"I’ve lived in a world for the past six years where it’s jets and five-star hotels, and it wasn’t ‘me’ before, so it’s nice to [get back to basics].
"It’s definitely died down. We were all just knackered by the end. The break came at the right time because I really needed to chill out for a while."
The ‘Slow Hands’ singer admitted he couldn’t even leave his hotel room at times during the height of One Direction’s fame, and is thrilled he can now go sight-seeing around the countries he visits on tour.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine, he said: "People taking pictures of you on a plane … that’s just absurd. I understood why the girls were outside the hotels – I get it. That’s the love they had for the band.
"But I remember one day we were in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Liam posted a video on Instagram of the two of us going mad at golf on TV. We hadn’t left the hotel in two days – we couldn’t get outside because it was going mad. I mean, when you’re 19, you don’t want to be stuck inside. You want to be out and see wherever we were and we just couldn’t.
"I’d driven past the Eiffel Tower about 20 times but never actually got underneath it, so when I went to Paris recently I was able to have a look around. Things have definitely slowed down."
Niall Horan: Life has slowed down
