Chris Martin has finally opened up on his split from Gwyneth Paltrow. In a candid interview with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe, the musician suggested that his own personal struggles played their part in the breakdown of the couple's ten year marriage.
"About two years ago I was a mess really because I can't enjoy the things that we are good at and I can't enjoy the great things around me because I am burdened by this," Chris said in the interview, which will be broadcast on Monday evening.
Chris Martin has spoken candidly about his split from Gwyneth Paltrow
"I've got to not blame anyone else and make some changes."
Gwyneth, 41, and Chris, 37, who have two children together, announced they were separating – or "consciously uncoupling" – last month."
I wouldn't use the word breakdown – this was more a realisation about trying to grow up, basically," Chris said of the split.
"If you can't open yourself up, you can't appreciate the wonder inside. So you can be with someone very wonderful, but because of your own issues you cannot let that be celebrated in the right way.
Chris Martin and Gywneth Paltrow announced the end of their twen year marriage in March
"What changed for me was – I don't want to go through life being scared of it, being scared of love, being scared of rejection, being scared of failure."
He revealed that Coldplay's new album, Ghost Stories, allowed him to address those problems.
"I think in life everyone needs to be broken in some way. I think everyone in their life goes through challenges, whether it's love or money, kids or illness."
Chris Martin on the split: "I wouldn't use the word breakdown"
"You have to really not run away from that stuff," he said.
"Life throws these colourful challenges at you… What we decided to do on Ghost Stories was to be really honest about it and say, this is what's been happening."
Chris admitted he had spent part of his life not being "completely vulnerable, and it caused me some problems. If you don't let love really in then you can't really give it back."
Ghost Stories, he added, looks at the fact that "you've got to open yourself up to love, and if you really do, of course it will be painful at some times, but then it will be great at some point."
Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow pictured together in January
During the interview, Chris also made the surprising admission that he is a big fan of a certain British boyband.
"I think One Direction are the biggest band in the world, their songs are great. I'm saying One Direction are brilliant and I'm not kidding," he said. "You know why? Because their songs are really good and I don't think that any of them are going to go solo. I think they appreciate their chemistry from watching their movie. "And there's one member that Chris is particularly fond of.
"Harry (Styles) has come to a couple of our shows, I think I probably said the same thing about chemistry. I can't remember – I was too enamoured with his hair cut. I was like this: 'I was pretty sure I was a straight guy before' – I was having a hot flush."