Niall Horan pays tribute to ‘solid friend’ Lewis Capaldi after Scottish star cancels gigs until Glastonbury

Niall Horan has paid tribute to his ‘solid friend’ Lewis Capaldi after the Scottish star cancelled all of his upcoming commitments ahead of Glastonbury in a bid to “rest and recover”.

The Brit Award-winning singer, 26, apologised to his fans in an Instagram post on Monday, explaining that he is “struggling” after a busy few months which saw him release his chart-topping second studio album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent.

Capaldi shared earlier this year how the pressures of fame have impacted his mental health in the Netflix documentary, Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now.

Now in a new interview, Horan, who is set to release his new album The Show, heaped praise on the hitmaker declaring that he is one of the nicest people he’s met within the industry.

The Heaven singer told Cosmopolitan UK: “He’s just a diamond geezer.

“There’s not a bad bone in his body. He’s a solid friend, and he also happens to be one of the funniest f***ers you’ve ever met in your life.

“We’re in a lot of WhatsApp groups together.”

The former One Direction star’s praise comes days after Capaldi announced that he would be cancelling all work commitments ahead of his Glastonbury set later this month.

Writing on his social media, he share: “Hi everyone, hope you’re well. This is a really difficult message and one that hurts me a lot to have to type.

“It’s been such an incredible time leading into this new album, and seeing all of the support from everyone has been beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of.

“That said, the last few months have been full on both mentally and physically, I haven’t been home properly since Christmas and at the moment I’m struggling to get to grips with it all.”

He continued: “I need to take a moment to rest and recover, to be at my best and ready for Glastonbury and all of the other incredible shows coming up so that I’m able to continue doing what I love for a long time to come.

“I need to take these three weeks to be Lewis from Glasgow for a bit, spend some time with my family and friends and do normal life things that are an important part of me feeling better. I hope everyone understands.”

The singer added he was “extremely sorry” for the impact the announcement will have on those who have booked travel or hotels for his gigs.

“The fact you’re willing to come out and spend your time, money and love on these shows is beyond comprehension and I feel incredibly lucky. I’m getting all the help and support I need from the incredible people around me who I’m so grateful for.

“I take none of this for granted and can’t wait to be back doing it again. All my love, Lewis x”

In light of his announcement, many of his fans and famous friends have shown their support, reassuring him to “rest up”.

Capital DJ Roman Kemp wrote: “Rest up chief,” as former Love Islander Alex George, who is the youth mental health ambassador for the Government, commented: “Take your time, Lewis. We will be here.”

TV star Paddy McGuinness commented under his post: “Rest up son. Eat well, sleep well, hammer some films,” while The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey penned: “Huge respect for you. Take it easy.”

Capaldi shot to fame after his 2019 debut album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent went to number one and received critical acclaim.

His Grammy-nominated track Someone You Loved also became the bestselling single of 2019 as well as the longest-running top 10 UK song of all time by a British artist.

The singer recently admitted on an Apple Music show that his mental health issues were a “direct symptom” of his job.

He said “a few panic attacks” and his recent Tourette’s diagnosis was worth the trade-off for the life of a pop star but admitted that if his mental health worsened he would be forced to give up music.

Capaldi is due to play the Glastonbury Festival on June 24 on the Pyramid Stage before Lizzo and Guns N’ Roses.

He is then scheduled to perform across the globe including venues in Australia and Asia.

Read Niall Horan’s full interview now on Cosmopolitan UK’s website