Belfast gig fiasco: Was Liam Payne’s ‘backstage meltdown’ to blame?

The mega-famous boyband left thousands of fans heartbroken on Tuesday evening when they backed-out of a high-profile concert at the last minute.

Due to take to the stage at the SSE Arena in Belfast as part of their On The Road Again tour, just 30minutes prior to One Direction's scheduled performance waiting spectators were told via a representative that the gig had been cancelled.

Although at the time an official statement from their management said that Liam Payne was ill, further details of his mystery condition are now emerging… and it seems that the 22-year-old suffered from a 'backstage meltdown'.

"The pressures of fame and being on the road for two years have made Liam ill," a source told The Sun.

“He was devastated about letting everyone down, especially the fans, but he wasn’t physically able to get on stage. He had a complete meltdown.”

The source added that it had been "brewing" for a while and the uncertainty of his future with the band's impending hiatus hadn’t helped matters.

One Direction have now committed to performing an extra Belfast date tomorrow evening for the fans they left disappointed on Tuesday.

 Liam himself took to Twitter to confirm that he is "feeling much better now". He added: "I really can't wait to perform and make it up to everyone later."