The Coldplay frontman – who announced last month he and wife were separating after 10 years of marriage – admits he has been a “mess” for some time because of his struggle to accept the good things in his life.

Asked if his marriage problems have inspired Coldplay’s new album Ghost Stories, he said: “I wouldn’t use the word breakdown, this was more a realisation about trying to grow up basically. Like I said, if you can’t open yourself up, you can’t appreciate the wonder inside. So you can be with someone very wonderful, but because of your own issues you cannot let that be celebrated in the right way….