Louis Tomlinson has made a surprising confession about his time in One Direction, revealing he never enjoyed performing the band's breakthrough hit What Makes You Beautiful.
The Song That Launched a Phenomenon
The track served as the debut single for Tomlinson and his bandmates Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik back in 2011, following their success on The X Factor. Despite propelling the group to international stardom and reaching number one in the charts, Tomlinson now admits he can't recall a single performance where he actually enjoyed singing it.
Speaking to Capital FM ahead of his performance at the Jingle Bell Ball next month, the 32-year-old singer was remarkably candid when a fan asked which song he hated performing most. "The thing is with the irony of this game, like I am an open book. I will just give you every answer!" Tomlinson responded.
"So, maybe some people wouldn't answer this, but I'm not sure there's a single time I performed One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' and enjoyed it. That felt like a bit of a challenge. So, yeah."
Generous Gesture Towards Former Bodyguard
This revelation comes shortly after Tomlinson demonstrated his generous nature by donating £4,000 to help fund life-saving surgery for Preston Mahon, a former One Direction bodyguard who protected the band during their peak fame years.
Mahon had set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for surgery to clear blocked arteries in both legs after being told by NHS doctors that the next time they saw him would be "for bypass and amputation" due to changing post-Covid rules.
The grandfather, who guarded all five One Direction members, expressed his gratitude to The Sun: "I'm so appreciative, it means the world to me." Mahon has used all his savings to fund a private operation in Spain costing 32,000 euros to save both legs.
New Romance and Musical Directions
Meanwhile, Tomlinson's personal life has been flourishing with his new relationship with Zara McDermott. The couple went Instagram official this summer with a kissing selfie, and their romance appears to be progressing rapidly.
Insiders revealed to The Sun that McDermott has essentially moved into Tomlinson's north London mansion, describing the pair as "smitten" and in the "honeymoon stage."
Tomlinson's latest track, Palaces from his new album How Did I Get Here?, has left fans "speechless" with what many believe are references to his blossoming romance with McDermott. The reality star showed her support by sharing the song on her Instagram Stories and praising it as "incredible."
Fans echoed her enthusiasm, with one commenting: "Each new song you release makes me appreciate your sense of musical composition even more, but with Palaces, everything changes, my ears have been blessed!! I love it."
The relationship has received family approval too, with both Tomlinson's sister and McDermott's brother expressing their support on social media.
Capital's Jingle Bell Ball with Barclaycard returns to The O2 on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December, where fans can watch Tomlinson perform live. The event will be streamed on Global Player and YouTube.
