‘The X Factor’s Max Stone was "lost" and "cut" his arms as a teenager.
The 27-year-old musician was brutally criticised by show boss Simon Cowell for being "half dead" but explained he was forced to "tone down" his personality after being bullied during his formative years and has confessed he battled with drug addiction.
Max – who was put through to the live shows by Simon on the weekend – shared: "I was picked on for years and so I learned how to tone down my personality. I started to hang with the wrong friends. There was a time in my teens where I cut my arms. When I was 14 in Devon, there was nothing to do but smoke weed.
He added: "I lost myself completely. I got to the point where I thought there was no hope. Music has been the biggest help."
Max went on to describe the tragic demise and death of his close friend Harry, who failed to recover from drug addiction.
He recalled: "He lost his mind when he was 17. Three years ago he died of a heart attack."
Meanwhile, the singer credited his long-term partner Eleanor for helping him turn his life around but revealed she’s worried he’ll "change" after appearing on the talent show.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "’X Factor’ has been a really challenging experience. Being away is hard. Harder for her. She isn’t sure what I’m doing, she doesn’t know the plan. She is definitely worried I’m going to change.
"Going through will put a lot of strain on Eleanor and I. We have talked about this in the past few weeks. We’d had a lot of troubles but I’ve reassured Eleanor that I don’t intend to change."
The X Factor’s Max Stone: I was ‘lost’ and self harmed
