Since he was catapulted to fame at the age of 15 in 2009, Justin Bieber has been one of the most famous musicians in the world. While he’s had career heights that most popstars could only dream of, it’s clear fame from an extremely young age has sometimes been more of a nightmare.

Throughout his career, Justin has had a rocky relationship with the paparazzi. And over 15 years later, it still stands true. Earlier this month, Bieber shared a video of paps outside his house, asking for them to stop, and later, in an Instagram live, he appeared to film photographers chasing him. He was also recently filmed arguing with a paparazzo, while he was getting coffee in Palm Springs. Being one of the most photographed people in the world, it’s no wonder Justin sometimes feels frustrated by the constant invasion of his space.

He also recently made a statement on social media, telling his almost 295million followers he would be staying put in LA – whether paps are there or not. ‘Everyone telling me to move from LA,’ Justin wrote on his Instagram story in April. ‘You think I’m gonna get bullied to leave where my influence is most needed? How can we make a change if we run away from the darkness? I too have been caught up in the transactional nature of Hollywood.’

But, largely due to his social media activity, there has been a lot of genuine concern for Justin mounting in recent months – from fans and people in the industry. Recent statements from the singer on Instagram have said he struggles with feeling ‘unworthy’ and ‘anger issues’.

Recently, there was a piece in The Hollywood Reporter where collaborators, and those who used to be on his team, questioned his recent choices. Songwriter Poo Bear, who co-wrote smash hits such as Despacito and What Do You Mean?, told the publication: ‘Whatever he’s going through, I pray for him and hope he’s OK.’ Though another source did tell the publication that Bieber is simply using social media in his own tongue-in-cheek way, commenting about his posts: ‘Artists are artists — they don’t look at the world the way you and I do.’

There have also been reports swirling about the state of his relationship with Hailey Bieber too – which was largely prompted by Justin unfollowing his wife on Instagram. (He later claimed that he didn’t do it, writing: ‘Someone just went on my account and unfollowed my wife. Shit is getting suss out here.’)

The pair welcomed their baby son Jack in August last year, and a source tells Grazia that their marriage is a good place. They say Hailey is there to support Justin – and that he is there for her to lean on, too. ‘The marriage does have it’s rollercoaster moments or phases, there’s no denying that,’ the source says. ‘But he is committed to the long term as is Hailey, they’re great parents and very determined to prove the doubters wrong over the long term. It’s a shame that drama and tension seems to follow them everywhere, but their hope is that it’s finally dying down now people can see for themselves that divorce is not an option.’

In terms of the stories that are following Justin, the source says a lot of it is due to the star no longer being managed by Scooter Braun, who had been managing Justin since he discovered the singer on YouTube as a teenager. There’s been hints the split wasn’t amicable; earlier this year, it was reported that they pair no longer follow each other on Instagram.

‘It’s true that when Scooter was around he was a master at getting stories killed or sniffing out the source of scurrilous rumours then correcting the narrative before it took on a damaging life of its own,’ the source added. ‘But now he’s off the scene they’re handling a lot of this stuff themselves, with Hailey very much at the forefront.’

TMZ also recently reported that Hailey has looked at legal options, after a TikTok went viral, which accused her of liking a mean post about Benny Blanco, Selena Gomez’s fiancé. (Of course, you probably remember Justin and Selena had an on-off again relationship, before they finally split up in March 2018.)  There’s also been a series on YouTube which claimed she stalked Justin before she married him. A source told the gossip website that these stories ‘are doctored and fabricated to make Hailey look bad’, and that Hailey has an issue with the social media lies being ‘taken at face value’.

As for now, the source says that the couple are trying to ignore the noise. ‘Justin and Hailey are trying their best to ignore all the negativity that’s said and written about them, especially on social media, but it still gets them down in a big way,’ they add. ‘They’re so sick and tired of defending themselves and their marriage, especially at a time they’re focused on raising baby Jack and trying to minimise drama and stress in their lives.’