Max George has revealed that he struggled with depression after the break-up of The Wanted in 2014 and admits he was "in a rut about what to do next".
The 32-year-old said he struggled to cope when he and bandmates Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes parted ways in 2014.
Speaking to Made In Chelsea's Jamie Laing and Francis Boulle on their Private Parts podcast, George said: "I was so in love with being in the band. I became aloof and was so focused on it. Plus, I was drinking every day and touring. That's all you do. To have that taken away was like an addiction - cold turkey."
"I had a three month period in my life where I couldn't leave my apartment without being sick. My head was spinning. I couldn't walk. So I ended up in hospital having scans on my brain and it was all down to being depressed.
"There wasn't anything specific, I felt like I was in a rut about what to do next, but I felt lucky, I have a great family, I got Glee and moved to LA...
"But nothing worked. The doctors put me on stuff [medication] over there. It helped - but I came off it because I didn't want to take something for six, seven or eight months and not be fine without it.
"I remember, the first morning it happened. I woke up and had felt fine the day before. My jaw seized up. I thought I had done something in my sleep."
He continued: "But the next day it was the same and my doctor said there was nothing wrong with it. So I started thinking there must be something wrong in my head.
"I came home for Christmas and got more opinions from doctors, brain scans. Nothing showed up, so they agreed it must be anxiety, depression.
"I couldn't do any exercise without being sick. Then three or four months into it, I woke up and my head was completely clear."
"I couldn't believe it had gone. I cried to myself because I felt like me again and I felt like I could go back to living my life."
George added: "I must have been down about The Wanted. But I didn't have time to think about it. Then Glee ended so I had to process that and the two collided."
"I didn’t understand what was causing it or what was wrong. How can I do something about something when I don’t know what it is?"
"I was a heavy drinker, so I stopped drinking. Stopped drinking coffee, but nothing worked. I still get episodes where I feel anxious but I deal with it better now."
For readers affected by the story, please remember, there is support out there if you need it. Click here for depression helplines and more
