OLLY Murs has offered his support to Zayn Malik after the former One Direction star opened up about his "extreme anxiety".

The Pillowtalk singer, 23, cancelled two gigs this year after quitting 1D to be a solo artist.

Olly, who met the hit boy band through X Factor, where they were runners-up on consecutive years, told BBC News that his "heart goes out" to Zayn.

He said: "I feel for him, because he did [several] worldwide tours and he always had friends around him.

"Now, he has that daunting anxiety [of] having to come out onstage without those other guys around."

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Olly, 32, admitted that he's also experienced "difficult" nights on tour.

He said: "People have paid for their tickets and they want you to entertain them. It can take its weight on you."

Zayn, who went on four headlining tours with One Direction, pulled out of the Capital Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium in June just minutes before he was scheduled to appear.

In an Instagram post he told fans: “Unfortunately my anxiety that has haunted me throughout the last few months around live performances has gotten the better of me..

"With the magnitude of the event, I have suffered the worst anxiety of my career."

Last month he cancelled a gig at the Autism Rocks Arena in Dubai that had been slated for tonight, explaining he still didn't feel "sufficiently confident" to perform.

Zayn isn't the only pop star to suffer from anxiety.

US singer Selena Gomez recently called off five concerts citing "anxiety, panic attacks and depression" linked to the auto-immune disease lupus.

Canadian star Justin Bieber put an end to "meet and greet" sessions with fans before and after shows, explaining he was "mentally and emotionally exhausted to the point of depression".

And Camila Cabello of American girl group Fifth Harmony left the stage early during a gig in Missouri, explaining she was "having too much anxiety".

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