Members of one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, One Direction, were reportedly mishandled during their peak success.

An insider from In Touch criticized the management team, claiming they effectively destroyed the young musicians, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson.

“They weren’t emotionally mature enough to handle the fame,” the source stated. They emphasised that instead of allowing the five boys to lead normal, peaceful lives, they were overworked and spent their youth confined to hotel rooms between hectic work schedule and appearances.

“They were treated as if they were merchandise,” the insider added.

These comments surfaced following Simon Cowell’s announcement that he plans to launch another talent show, hoping to discover the next big boy band like One Direction.

One Direction was formed in 2010 during the British television show The X Factor.

However, after casting a spell on the audiences for nearly five years, the band went on hiatus in 2016 following Dusk till Dawn hitmaker Malik’s departure in 2015.

While the members pursued solo careers, recently Payne died at the age of 31, after falling from a hotel building on Wednesday, October 16.