Liam Payne voted sexiest man of the year

London: One Direction star Liam Payne is the sexiest man of 2015, according to readers of Attitude.

The One Direction singer - who takes over from last year's winner Tom Daley - also opened up to the magazine after receiving the accolade, reported Digital Spy. Payne, who was recently forced to deny "ridiculous" accusations of homophobia, said of the award, "It's a shock but I am very thankful to those who think I deserve this. It's a great title to have."

Talking about his heavy partying during One Direction's earlier years, he continued, "I'm not afraid to say that I actually went through a pretty bad (drinking) stage. And for that time in my life, that was perfect for me."

"I mean, you're away from home and that can get hard. Also there were a lot of things on my mind and that's what helped me through."