Eleven years ago five strapping young lads were sandwiched together to make the Simon Cowell approved boyband, One Direction.
But little did any of them know the sheer level of success they were about to be subjected to.
The ballsy Brit lads formed a group on the ITV talent show The X Factor and skyrocketed to success after stealing every tween girl’s heart who watched the hit show back in 2010.
The boyband from beyond included members Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik – who have all gone on to shiny solo careers, ahem, some shiner than the others.
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Unfortunately, for fans all over the world, the boys decided to call it a day in early 2016 after publicly announcing their “extended hiatus”.
This news came almost a year after Zayn decided to ditch the group to go and a “normal life”.
But a normal life is a far cry from what any of the boys have gone on to lead, with the lads shacking up with supermodels, winning music awards and still continuing to be at the pinnacle of the public eye.
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The lads might not be the showiest bunch but their personal lives regularly hit the headlines and often cause a stir in the world of showbiz.
Now it’s time to take a closer look at what they’ve all been up to since coming third on The X Factor – yes we said third!
But don’t worry being beaten by Matt Cardle (1st place) and Rebecca Ferguson (2nd place) isn’t all doom and gloom…
Niall Horan
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The little Irish gem of the group, 27-year-old Niall Horan, first auditioned for the band when he was 16 years old.
The star auditioned Neyo’s So Sick in front of the judges and claimed he wanted to sell out arenas like Beyoncé and Justin Bieber.
Since leaving the bad Niall has gone to revel in his solo career releasing his first solo album Flicker” in 2017 and he concluded his first solo international tour in September of 2018.
Towards the end of 2019, Niall also released a few new singles including “Nice to Meet Ya” and “Put a Little Love on Me.”
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Just at the pandemic hit in March 2020, he also released his second studio album, “Heartbreak Weather,” which was met with fairly positive reviews.
Though music isn’t the only path the star has taken, with sport becoming prevalent in the singer’s life.
A year after the group’s hiatus, he announced that he was starting Modest! Golf, a management company for emerging golfers.
More recently, Derby football boss Wayne Rooney Derby has invited the former band member along to pre-season training.
Who knows, Niall could put the Rams in the ‘one direction’ they need to go.
Liam Payne
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Little may know, but series seven wasn’t the Wolverhampton star’s first X Factor rodeo – with him failing to wow the industry experts back in 2008.
Luckily for the eager beaver, he impressed the judges two years later, including former girl band member Cheryl Cole – who he went on to date shortly after the boyband split.
This initially caused a stir as Cheryl was one of the judges who put Liam, now 27, through when he was just 16-years-old.
The pair have since gone on to share a 4-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne.
The same year the star became a dad, he also released pop hit “Strip That Down” in 2017.
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The famous couple then split in 2018 and agreed to co-parent Bear amicably.
Later on, he also released his debut album, LP1, in 2019, which was unfortunately ripped apart by critics.
He has since gone on to date supermodel Naomi Campbell before getting engaged to model Maya Henry in August 2020, though the pair since recently broke up in June 2021.
Harry Styles
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Arguably the biggest bandmate of them all, Harry Styles, 27, has gone on to be recognised as one of the greats in the music industry and has floored the fashion world with his unique style.
His self-titled debut album topped the charts in 14 countries following its 2017 release and Rolling Stone named the lead single, “Sign of the Times,” the song of the year.
He then went onto wow fans with his critically acclaimed second album Fine Line in 2019.
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Out of the five, harry has definitely been the one to experiment with his style the most – often coming under fire for his quirky looks which have led to him becoming a style icon in today’s fashion world.
Harry hasn’t stopped there though — with the star adding Hollywood acting to his CV – starring in Dunkirk in 2017 and upcoming movies My Policeman and Don’t Worry, Darling.
The Redditch-born star reportedly replaced Shia LaBeouf in the forthcoming movie, Don’t Worry, Darling and is now dating the film’s director actress Olivia Wilde after meeting on set.
Louis Tomlinson
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One year on from leaving 1D, Louis, 29, started his own family with ex-fling Briana Jungwirth, who gave birth to their son, Freddie.
It was never confirmed whether the pair were actually in a relationship or it was just casual.
But soon after Freddie, now 5, came into the world, things got pretty rocky between them after social media shade and reports of custody battles.
Louis also focused on his solo music career after leaving 1D, releasing singles “Back to You” and “Just Like You” in 2017.
Strangely enough, the musician also returned to show he shot to fame on, serving as an X Factor judge on the 15th season in 2018.
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Soon after, the star received some devastating news that his little sister, 18-year-old sister, Félicité, died.
The aspiring fashion designer passed away accidentally from taking a fatal combination of drugs.
This wasn’t the first family trauma he had dealt with though, with him losing his mother to a battle with leukaemia in 2016 at age 42.
The grief-stricken singer took some time off after the family tragedy and put out his first album, Walls, which came out in 2020.
Zayn Malik
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Bradford boy Zayn, 28, was an integral part of the renowned group’s success but was the first to throw in the flag.
In March 2015, the star decided that the band life was no longer for him and instead wanted to live a “normal life” for a 22-year-old.
Following the shock split, Zayn also very publicly parted ways from ex-fiancé and Little Mix member Perrie Edwards and soon began seeing supermodel Gigi Hadid.
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Less than a year after his 1D exit, he released his first solo album, an R&B body called “Mind of Mine” which featured his hit single “Pillowtalk”.
After taking home an American Music Award and MTV VMA, the singer released his second studio album, Icarus Falls, in December 2018.
Over the past few years, the singer has ripped apart 1D’s music, even stating that he did not make any life-long friends from the band. Ouch.
In September 2020, Zayn and Gigi welcomed their first child, Khai Hadid Malik and the singer has since dropped his third studio album “Nobody Is Listening” in January 2021.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
