Justin Bieber has said the first year of marriage to his wife Hailey was “tough” because there was “lack of trust”.

The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony in New York in 2018 when Bieber was 24 and Hailey was 21.

They exchanged vows for a second time in South Carolina at the end of September 2019.

Their marriage came after a tumultuous time for Bieber, who has battled substance abuse and had run-ins with the law.

He told GQ magazine: “The first year of marriage was really tough because there was a lot, going back to the trauma stuff.

“There was just lack of trust. There was all these things that you don’t want to admit to the person that you’re with, because it’s scary.

“You don’t want to scare them off by saying, ‘I’m scared’.”

He said he spent the first year as a husband “on eggshells” but added he is now happier than he had ever been.

He said: “We’re just creating these moments for us as a couple, as a family, that we’re building these memories.

“It’s beautiful that we have that to look forward to. Before, I didn’t have that to look forward to in my life.

“My home life was unstable. Like, my home life was not existing. I didn’t have a significant other. I didn’t have someone to love. I didn’t have someone to pour into. But now I have that.”

Bieber said he has always felt “compelled” to marry, adding: “I just felt like that was my calling. Just to get married and have babies, and do that whole thing.”

Asked if they plan to have children, he said: “Not this second, but we will eventually.”