NIALL Horan leaves the X Factor studios on crutches - after being attacked by a SQUIRREL.
The One Direction singer has undergone an operation to fix torn ligaments in his knee.
And he blames a run-in with a furry-tailed rodent in a London park for his injury.
He told Capital FM: “A squirrel attacked me. I got attacked by a squirrel in Battersea Park. They're dangerous. It's rare.
“I've torn most of the ligaments in my knee. So no football for me.
“It's early retirement now. I've got a floating knee-cap!”
However, he managed to take the stage at last night’s X Factor live finals without the walking aids, alongside his One Direction mates.
The globe-conquering boyband were introduced by host Dermot O’Leary, and revealed contestant James Arthur has got their vote.
Meanwhile, it’s been revealed that despite their success and reports of their multi-million earnings, the 1D lads don’t have enough money to pay for their own homes.
Niall and Liam Payne – who sported a newly-shaved hairdo on X Factor – are still living in the London apartment their label Syco provided for the group two years ago.
A source told The Sun: “Only Niall and Liam are left and they still play just a fraction of the rent, with management picking up the rest of the tab.
“The rent they are paying is a token amount because their bosses want to teach them they’ll have to pay all of their rent at some stage.”
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