Liam Payne is ''quite nerdy''.

The One Direction singer enjoys spending his days off from the band hanging out with old friends, playing video games and watching movies and loves getting the chance to be ''normal''.

He said: ''I've still got the same friends back home as I did before the band. That's really important to me. They treat me the same as they always did.

''My mate Andy from college moved to London around the same time as I did, so he comes over to my house a lot. Often he'll bring his friends with him and we go out together.

''We're quite nerdy and have games nights, as well as movie nights on Wednesdays if I'm home. It's nice to do something really down to earth and normal.''

Liam's bandmates Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson also credit their childhood friends with keeping them grounded.

Louis said: ''It would be easy to make a lot of new friends in the industry, but when you see your old mates and they treat you the way they always have done, it brings you straight back to earth.''

Zayn added to Top of the Pops magazine: ''I only really had two close friends growing up. I'm still good mates with both of them now. Our friendship is the same - they take the mickey out of me like they've always done. They remind me of who I am.''