Louis Tomlinson has outed himself as the unnamed famous figure in Robbie William’s Instagram post about his experience on a flight earlier this year.
Louis Tomlinson(Image: Getty)
Louis Tomlinson has admitted he was the celebrity that Robbie Williams was talking about when the Rock DJ star recalled being branded ‘much nicer’ than another famous person on board the same flight. The Better Man star discussed the pressures of fame while being out in public earlier this year and the need to be constantly available for fans.
He revealed that he had taken selfies with the cabin crew, despite not feeling his best, with staff declaring that he had been much friendlier than another celebrity who declined photos. Robbie, 51, wrote in an Instagram post in April: “That made me bristle. I know that other celebrity – and he’s a lovely lad.”
He added: “Who knows what was going on in his world that day?”, careful not to reveal the identity of the other famous figure. However, the One Direction star has now outed himself, stating that he believes he is that ‘lovely lad’ Robbie was referring to.
Speaking to Rolling Stone UK, Louis said: “Robbie never actually called me out on it, but I’m sure I was who he was talking about. I was right in the middle of my grief. I felt cross with the world, to be honest.”
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Just months prior, his bandmate Liam Payne, 31, had fallen to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina, leaving millions across the globe heartbroken.
One Direction members, Louis, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles all posted a personal tribute to their ‘brother’ as well as releasing a joint statement.
They attended Payne’s funeral in November and cancelled all upcoming shows and obligations for the foreseeable future.
Rumours began to swirl in March that the band would reunite to pay tribute to Liam at the Brit Awards but Louis’ PR quickly put an end to the speculation.
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He told The Evening Standard: “Louis just despairs. He could never get up there and sing as part of the band after what has happened.”
In the new interview, Louis reflected on denying fans photos and shared: “What’s tough in that situation, psychologically, is that you know there’s no answer other than “Sorry, I’m a c**t.” Because you know there’s no excuse you can make that can kind of alleviate that blow.”
Robbie Williams referred to the unnamed famous man as ‘a lovely lad'(Image: Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images)
He said he offered to sign something instead but was met with disappointment as ‘they can’t put them online like a photo’.
Louis, who has been in the limelight since he was a teen, confessed that these types of situations ‘end up putting you off leaving the house next time, because you just think: “All I was doing there was trying to protect myself.’”
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The 33-year-old recently revealed he is releasing a new album for the first time in four wells as well as reuniting with One Direction bandmate Zayn to make a documentary.
Filming has already commenced for the duo’s multi-million pound Netflix road trip documentary, which follows the singers as they travel across the US.
The project is expected to drop in 2026, exactly a decade after the band split up and 11 years after Zayn left the band.