James Arthur didn't "like himself at all" when he "ran away" from fame

However, looking back on that time now, James admits it was "quite scary".

Speaking on ITV's Loose Women on Thursday (08.11.18), he said: "It was [difficult to cope with] because although I had a dream to be a successful musician or an artist, nothing could really prepare you for the level of scrutiny. People judge you on your character and the way you look. You can't go to the corner shop without people tapping you on the shoulder and things like that. I wasn't prepared for that. It was a weird thing for me. I struggled and I think I did everything I could to get rid of it. And then when it was gone, it was like 'Oh my gosh this is gone now.' That was quite scary. I was self-medicating. I was running away from it. I didn't like myself at all at that point."

James previously described himself as a "tortured soul".

He confessed: "I've been a tortured soul. I've been through a lot of heartache so I definitely put that in my music. It's where I express it the best. That's the thing I rely on the most."

Talking about growing up in foster care, he added: "It was a bit scary. I lived with a lady who'd taken up fostering children and they were always fairly troubled kids. There was a lot of tension because you'd be fighting a lot and looking over your shoulder. And I just wanted to be back with my sisters and my family. But it probably toughened me up in a good way. I learnt the value of family through that."