Liam Payne is opening up about his social media disappearance, revealing that he was in rehab for more than three months.
"Sorry for [being] MIA. You guys know there's a few reasons why I did that and I just needed to take a little bit of time out for myself," he said in a new YouTube video titled "I'm Back."
"I kind of became somebody who I didn't recognize and I'm sure you didn't either."
The One Directioner said he needed to "get well," so he checked into a rehab center in Louisiana.
"I was in bad shape up to that point. I was really happy more than anything when I arrived to kind of put a stopper on life and work. I didn't have my phone for nearly 100 days," he stated. "I didn't connect to the outside world at all and it was kind of prepping me for that moment. Upon leaving was actually the hardest point was turning the phone back on … because it was a little bit scary."
Now out of rehab, the singer said he's discovering this new version of himself.
In the lengthy video, Liam thanked his son, Bear, and his ex Cheryl Cole for "giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment, because I had to."
"There's no point in trying to be a dad when you've got nothing to teach," he continued. "I don't think up until this point I had much to say to him other than just loving him very deeply."
With the lengthy rehab stay behind him, Liam has "more of a grip" on his life. He's also six months sober.
"After I got back out, the process had worked for me to a certain extent, but also there were little bits left that I kind of had to deal with myself," he said.
The singer was also sure to thank his former One Direction bandmates – Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik – who "really stood by [him] when [he] really needed them most."
"They kind of came to the rescue," Liam said.