Louis Tomlinson admits Harry Styles romance rumours ‘irritate’ him

Louis Tomlinson can’t take anymore romance rumours about him and his former bandmate, Harry Styles.

While the two singers shared a close friendship during their One Direction days, a fraction of their admirers thought their relationship was more than they led on. Speculation that Tomlinson, 32, and Styles, 30, were once romantically linked has swirled since they won the X Factor in 2010 with Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik - beginning their boy band era.

“What’s tough is, I realised this some years ago - there is nothing I can say. There is nothing I can do to dispel the believers of that conspiracy,” the “Bigger Than Me” singer told G1, a Brazilian news organisation.

“They are so intertwined with what they believe to be the truth now that they won’t actually see the truth for what it is,” he continued.

Although Tomlinson knows he can’t stop people from devising theories about him, he explained how the misinformation can become too much for him to deal with at times. In other words, the conspiracies are sometimes “far too personal”.

“It does irritate me a little bit, you know? But it is just kind of [the] nature of the job, I suppose. There are times where it gets a little bit… at times it gets far too personal within that whole space,” he admitted. “I’ve got my son Freddie [who is] the most important person in my life. Occasionally it kind of broaches some stuff that is really unfair.”

TikTok videos continue to circulate the romance rumours, piecing together old clips of Tomlinson and Styles holding hands, wrestling, and jokingly kissing one another on the cheek together as “evidence” of their love.

The HBO original drama series Euphoria not-so-subtly fueled the fire when character Kat Hernandez, played by actor Barbie Ferreira, pretend to write a NSFW fan-fiction scene about Tomlinson and Styles.

Speaking to G1, Tomlinson emphasised: “So it kind of just is this thing that exists now. There’s nothing I can do about it, there’s nothing I can say about it to stop people making up what they want to make up. So be it!”

It’s been eight years since One Direction extended their hiatus from writing, producing, and performing music together. While fans have hoped and prayed for their reunion, all five of them have been pursuing individual careers in the industry.

Tomlinson previously told the Telegraph that he was “jealous” of Styles’ success in his solo career. In a 2022 interview with the outlet, he said: “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me at first.”

He continued: “Only ‘cos I didn’t know where to place myself, and really my only point of reference was other members of the band. But it’s not surprising to me that Harry’s the most commercially successful because he really fits the mold of a modern star.”

The “Silver Tongues” singer then made it clear he sees Styles as a “brother.”