Sex rumours that destroyed One Direction friendships -and how Zayn tried to help

When One Direction was birthed by X Factor boss Simon Cowell in 2010, teenagers Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Niall Horan were all boyish banter and rambunctious enthusiasm.

Their interviews were packed full of ladish tactility – and the fans loved it, for despite having started out as strangers, it seemed the fivesome were the perfect fit.

And by the time they scored their first number one with What Makes You Beautiful in September 2011, best mates Harry and Louis were renting a £3million flat in North London together, in the same block where Ashley Cole and Cheryl once met.

But within a matter of months, they’d allegedly stopped talking and moved out amid talk of a mysterious feud.

“Apart from Harry and Louis, no one knows exactly what caused the falling out – they didn’t even tell the other boys the full details,” a source told The Sun at the time.

“But it was very serious and their friendship has never recovered.”

Feelings were apparently so frosty that the boys refused to travel together and bosses had to find a way to make the last three albums without the band being in the studio – claims Louis denied.

Even Niall dismissed the reports, telling fans not to believe the rumours.

“We stand strong as a band and we’re brothers,” he tweeted.

But what could have ever come between the once tight-knit friends?

It would be their bandmate Zayn who hinted at the cause of a change, revealing that the ‘Larry Stylinson’ fan fiction – which depicted the pair as lovers – had caused the boys to pull back from the friendship.

In an attempt to make fans understand the impact of their comments, Zayn – who quit 1D in 2015 – told The Fader: “It’s not funny, and it still continues to be quite hard for them.

“They won’t naturally go put their arm around each other because they’re conscious of this thing that’s going on, which is not even true. They won’t do that natural behaviour.”

For Louis, he took issue with the impact the gossip was having on his own relationship and admitted the speculation had ‘created an atmosphere’ between him and Harry.

“When it first came around I was with Eleanor, and it actually felt a little bit disrespectful to Eleanor, who is my girlfriend now. I’m so protective over things like that, about the people I love,” he told The Sun.

“It created this atmosphere between the two of us where everyone was looking into everything we did. It took away the vibe you get off anyone. It made everything, I think on both fences, a little bit more unapproachable.”

While Harry has refused to put a label on his sexuality, Louis identifies as heterosexual and was furious when a cartoon featured in HBO show Euphoria depicted a sex scene between him and Harry last year.

“I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it,” he raged on Twitter, with a source telling The Sun he was ‘angered’ that an ‘awkward’ situation had been made worse.

Despite the drama, Louis and Harry still remain friends, with the latter joining Niall and Liam to support Louis’ emotional X Factor performance following the death of his mum, Johannah Deakin, in December 2016.

And to mark their 10th anniversary today, the band – minus Zayn – will thank their fans with an immersive fan experience website called 10 Years of One Direction.

Their rep explained that a video will also be released featuring a timeline of the band’s best bits, “from forming on The X Factor to releasing their single History including clips from music videos, performances and candid behind-the-scenes video content. And of course the special relationship they have with their fans.”

Sadly though, Liam let slip that while he, Harry, Louis and Niall got in touch to discuss the milestone, he ruled Zayn out of any possible reunion.

More On

One DirectionLouis TomlinsonZayn MalikHarry StylesNiall HoranLiam Payne