Los Angeles, Jan 13 (IANS): Singer-songwriter Olly Murs says there was a time when he felt like a "zombie" due to depression.

Shooting to fame after he took the second place on "The X Factor" back in 2009, he felt he had a "split personality" because his persona on-stage and out of the spotlight was so different, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"It was straight off the back of the 'X Factor' tours. I was drinking too much, I'd always want a drink, vodka and orange, before I performed. You have this split personality. You save all the smiles and the happiness for the performance and then it was like you just switched off. I was moody all the time," he told Event magazine.

"I was like a zombie, but underneath it all I was just worrying about what was going to happen to me and I was actually depressed," he added.

Eventually, going on to confide in his management team about his struggles, he was relieved at the support they gave him in helping him back to good health.

"I burst into tears and they told me to take a break. It's crazy, but that was the last thing you expect to hear. You almost expect them to say, 'Well goodbye then'."

"But they had more faith in me than I had in myself and they also realised I was burnt out. It took two weeks for me to sort myself out," he said.