Los Angeles - Liam Payne has apologised for comments perceived as "homophobic".
The One Direction heartthrob has hit back at fans who criticised him for making anti-gay comments during a recent concert, insisting he meant nothing offensive by not acknowledging same-sex relationships.
According to JustJared, he introduced a track by saying: "This is my favourite song off the last album, and it is about trying to find that number one woman of your life, which none of you can relate to, 'cause most of you are girls. Except for the boys in here, you know what I'm talking about."
After receiving a barrage of abuse online, he took to Twitter to clarify his remarks, saying it was a "throw away statement".
And in further messages, the 21-year-old singer said there was "no need" for the insults being hurled his way for something he said "in the wrong way".