Liam Payne: The coronavirus pandemic has helped me stop taking things for granted

Liam Payne says the coronavirus pandemic has taught him to “stop taking as many things for granted”.

The 27-year-old singer has admitted he’s been struggling to balance his work and home life amid the ongoing pandemic as he’s been forced to begin working from home.

He said: “I’m quite tired! One of the most difficult things about the pandemic is working from home and trying to balance your personal life with your work life, when there’s not really that closing door between the two places.”

But there have been silver linings to the last 12 months for the ‘Strip That Down’ singer, as he’s been able to take a step back and reflect on how “grateful” he is for his life and the people in it.

He added to People magazine: “I think it’s allowed all of us to stop taking as many things for granted, and to be a bit more thankful and grateful I feel, for what we have … it’s quite a beautiful thing actually.”

Liam has been spending more time with his three-year-old son Bear – whom he has with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl – amid lockdown, and recently celebrated Christmas with him.

And before the special holiday season, Liam admitted becoming a father gave Christmas new meaning for him, as it had always felt “a little bit hollow” to him in the past.

He explained last month: “For me, it really reignited Christmas. I moved away from home at 17, so Christmas kind of took on a new meaning. It was great to be able to shower people with gifts and make everybody feel welcome, but Christmas always felt a little bit hollow for some reason. Now he’s kind of filled that hole for me and I understand it all over again.”