Why Louis Tomlinson Was “Mortified” After One Direction’s Breakup

If there's one thing Louis Tomlinson is certain of, it's that he wasn't prepared for One Direction's split.

In fact, the 31-year-old recently shared that he was "mortified" after the boy band—which also included Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne—broke up in 2016 after six years together.

"I was absolutely gutted," he told The Times UK in an interview published Feb. 24. "I was a bit bitter, I suppose because it just felt like another loss to me. But I've a better understanding of things now, and there's not as much anger. It is what it is."

And at the beginning of the split, the English singer did harbor some feeling of jealously toward his former bandmate Harry.

"Well, it's not a surprise is it?" Louis told the outlet of the "As It Was" singer's success. "We were always aware that Harry fit that mold, and it's been an amazing thing to watch. Envy? At the start maybe, when I was trying to find my feet, but it's never healthy to cross-reference your own success with others is it?"

"These days I'm learning to elevate myself in those moments when I have to," he added, "I didn't know how to do that before, but now? Now I know I f--king can."

After Zayn left the group in 2015, the four remaining members put out their final album Made In The A.M., before calling it quits in 2016. However, Louis could see a moment in the future where they reunite.

"Getting back together at some point is hard to imagine right now," he continued. "But I'd be surprised if we lived out our lives and didn't have a moment where we had a reunion, or whatever you want to call it. I'd be up for that."

He noted, "I do miss the boys and I do definitely miss being one of the five, but I like doing my own thing too. It was time."

Last year, Louis spoke about dealing with the fame that came along with being known worldwide and how having the boys to lean on helped.

"It's easier to see now from the outside looking in," he said in Sept. 2022 during an apperence on the UK TV show Lorraine. "It was a crazy time but amazing to go through with other people. It would have been scary to go through it alone at that age."