HE was a member of a world famous boyband that was mobbed by fans wherever it went.
But One Direction‘s Niall Horan, 30, remains humble enough to walk to his own solo show after bad traffic brought his car to a standstill.
The Irishman arrived at his Toronto arena show in surprising fashion for a pop star, and it left fans stunned.
Fed up of waiting for the roads to clear, Niall ditched his car close to the Scotiabank Arena and walked the rest of the way amongst his supporters.
In a video shared to TikTok, he said: “Traffic’s too bad in Toronto so we’re walking to the venue. In all of the years playing show I don’t think I’ve walked into a venue.”
Dressed in a cap, shades and a white T-shirt, he casually strolled without being bothered.
One fan commented on the clip: “Imagine just seeing Niall Horan walking into Scotiabank Arena.”
Another said: “The true Toronto experience.”
A third posted: “I’m so proud celebrities can just walk into venues in Canada. Just beautiful.”
The freedom to actually walk alongside the public is something that was alien to him just a decade ago.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan last year he explained how 1D mania left him scared to go outside at times.
He said: “I loved touring, but it was f**king crazy. We’d go to countries and never see a second of it – it was hotel, venue, plane, same again.
“We couldn’t get out the [hotel] door. If you went out in the car, you’d be seen and chased [by fans]. I understand why it was going on, but it gave me a thing where, when I came back to London, I would be afraid to go out. There was a period where I actually couldn’t.”
The madness of the 1D years might have finally subsided eight years after the band split, but that’s not to say Niall’s star is on the way out.
He’s released three successful albums as a solo artist- Flicker, Heartbreak Weather and The Show – and has millions of followers on social media.
Pop’s Mr Nice enjoys chatting to fan posts, and probably got a kick out of the response to his walking clip.
He said: “Sometimes I type my name in to see tweets I’m not tagged in. If I see the fans talking about me without tagging me, I’ll reply.
“I like winding people that don’t like me up. I get such a laugh. I also try to reply to people who ask genuine questions about the music, or what I’m up to.”
