Matty Healy admits he felt ‘sexualised’ by The 1975 fans

Matthew Healy has admitted that he felt ‘sexualised’ by The 1975 fans in their early fame as he discussed finding romantic relationships difficult.

The singer, 33, known as Matty, discussed fans’ ‘romantic’ relationship with the band and said he felt ‘sexualised’ for smoking cigarettes and wearing a leather jacket.

He told The Guardian: ‘People were having a romantic relationship with the band, I was sexualised to a certain extent; it was sexy, in the way that leather jackets and smoking and all that kind of s*** was sexy.’

But he admitted he found this depiction difficult because he was struggling with his mental health as he hadn’t dealt with some traumatic ‘early sexual experiences’.

‘I’m not going to be specific, but I had some early sexual experiences that, as I got older, were really, really difficult to deal with,’ he said.

Matty said it wasn’t to do with anything that happened at home but said his mental health had become shaped by his sexual experiences and romantic relationships as a teenager.

The star, who recently broke up with singer FKA twigs, also admitted he struggled having romantic relationships because he’d worry over things he’d done in the past.

Struggles: He admitted that he found this depiction difficult because he was struggling with his mental health as he hadn’t dealt with some traumatic ‘early sexual experiences’

‘It’s hard to have romantic relationships with people when you’re on tour, so the one part of my life that I found difficult got really hard, and I would focus on it, so I would never be in the moment,’ he admitted.

Matty said he would stand backstage ahead of The 1975 performances and dwell on things he had done in the past as he candidly spoke about his mental health.

Matty, who has previously spoken about being a heroin addict for four years in his 20s, said he used to get defensive about the word ‘depressed’ when he was younger because his mother was clinically ill.

He admitted he was ‘really traumatised’ at the time, but said he is now much happier in himself after going to rehab and having therapy.

Band: The singer (pictured in 2017), 33, known as Matty, discussed fans’ ‘romantic’ relationship with the band and said he felt ‘sexualised’ for smoking cigarettes and wearing a leather jacket

His latest comments come after Matt and FKA twigs have ended their relationship after over two years of dating.

Matt – the son of Loose Women star Denise Welch and actor Tim Healy – is thought to have embarked on a relationship with twigs, 34, towards the end of 2019.

However the pair have reportedly called things off due to ‘work commitments’ following lockdown and the final throes of the coronavirus pandemic, among them the promotion and release of a fifth album from The 1975. 

A source told The Sun: ‘Sadly things haven’t worked out. Those around them thought this was going to be it but it hasn’t been the case. 

Mindset: Matty (pictured with bandmates George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald) said he struggled having romantic relationships because he’d worry over things he’d done

‘There was no massive row or fallout. When lockdown ended they both found themselves pulled in different directions with work commitments.’ 

The insider went on to explain that FKA – whose real name is Tahliah Debrett Barnett – is feeling ‘naturally upset’ since splitting with singer but is being ‘supported’ by close friends.

The source added: ‘The whole thing is still very raw and naturally she is upset but she’s got her friends around her who are supporting her. 

News of the alleged breakup came days after FKA – who has previously dated stars such as Rob Pattinson and Shia LaBeouf – was seen partying with Madonna after attending a fashion show in London.

Split: His latest comments come after Matt and FKA twigs (pictured in December 2020) have ended their relationship after over two years of dating

After the break-up, FKA also took to TikTok to share a video of herself kissing Elite star Aron Piper.

At the same time, Aron was reportedly spotted being intimate with singer Dua Lipa in a nightclub, six months after she split from model Anwar Hadid following two years of dating.

FKA released new mixtape Caprisongs to critical acclaim earlier this year, while The 1975 have just released their new track I’m In Love With You ahead of their fifth album.

The band’s previous release was the sprawling Notes On A Conditional Form, their fourth album, released during lockdown in 2020.

Play acting? After the break-up, FKA took to TikTok to share a video of herself kissing Elite star Aron Piper