Liam Payne struggled to be a dad to son Bear before rehab stint

Liam Payne didn't feel like he could offer his little boy Bear anything until he completed a rehab program.

Liam Payne

Liam Payne admits it was hard for him to be a proper dad to his son Bear before he sought professional help.

The former One Direction star, 29, entered rehab for 100 days and completed a detox from his phone, which he found hugely beneficial, after not "recognising himself" following a controversial interview with Logan Paul - in which he criticised his former band and claimed having a child had "ruined" his relationship with former partner Cheryl Tweedy - but admitted he was lashing out in the wrong place because of his "own frustrations" at his career.

Liam is grateful that former Girls Aloud star Cheryl, 40, and his six-year-old son gave him the "freedom" to work on his issues so he could become a better father.

Speaking in a candid YouTube clip, he said: “Time with Bear’s been really, really great.

“More than anything, I want to say thank you to him and his mum [Cheryl Tweedy] for giving me a little bit of freedom to go and get well in that moment because I had to.

"There’s no point trying to be a dad when you’ve got nothing to teach and I don’t think up until this point I really had much to say to him other than just caring for him very deeply and loving him deeply, which is obviously the most important thing.”

The 'Strip That Down' hitmaker also gave an update on Bear and revealed his little boy corrects his dad when he mispronounces words.

Liam said of his son: “He’s awesome. I mean he’s growing up far too quickly.

“He actually texted me the other day from his iPad saying, ‘Hello, Dad.’ What, you’re six, like, what are you doing? I tried to make [my response] joking because [I thought] what’s my job for now and I put ‘hello’ with no ‘H’ and the simple response I got back was, ‘No, no, it’s not ello it’s hello with an H.’ So, he’s learning really quickly.

“He’s far more smarter than I think I’ll ever be. He’s a wonder, but he’s definitely learning to talk at this moment in time and it’s a lot of fun to be around to watch him grow.”

The former 'X Factor' star admitted getting rid of his phone for a long period was very beneficial.

He said of his social media detox: “I didn’t have my phone for nearly 100 days. I didn’t connect with the outside world at all, and it was kind of prepping me for that moment. Upon leaving actually the hardest part was turning the phone back on."