James McVey almost quit The Vamps

James McVey almost quit The Vamps because of his struggle with mental health.

The 23-year-old guitarist has now admitted that the pressure that came with being in a popular group took its toll on his mental health during a tour of America in 2016, and says his depression almost caused him to walk away from the band completely.

He said: "I had a really difficult time last year where we were on tour in America and things were just building and building for me.

"I was getting terrified of being late for a hotel lobby call. I wouldn’t be sleeping because of it. I’d be on stage and I’d be like I hate this, because I didn’t understand how I was feeling or why.

"I was on the verge of saying ‘I’m leaving the band’."

But the ‘Can We Dance’ musician decided to seek help before making the life-changing decision, and he turned to his band mate and The Vamps frontman Brad Simpson for advice.

James added: "It took me a lot to speak to Brad, the singer in the band. I said to him, I’m really struggling, man. I don’t know if I can do this."

The ‘Oh Cecilia’ hitmaker insists that simply opening up about his struggle was enough to help him realise that walking away from the band would have been a mistake, and is now encouraging other people who are battling with their mental health to speak out about their demons.

He told UK radio station LBC in support of Mental Health Awareness Week: "Just opening up to someone about my emotions was so refreshing for me as a person. It really pulled me from that edge. "If I hadn’t opened up about that, I probably would have left. In hindsight that would have been a ridiculous mistake."