Cheryl, Zayn and Simon Cowell pay tribute to Louis Tomlinson's mum

Cheryl, Zayn Malik and Simon Cowell have all paid emotional tribute to Louis Tomlinson’s mum, who passed away this week after losing her battle with leukaemia.

Johannah Deakin died on Wednesday morning aged 42, leaving behind her children 24-year-old Louis, Lottie, 18, Felicite, 16, twins Daisy and Phoebe, both 12, and two-year-old twins Ernest and Doris, as well as her husband Dan Deakin.

The One Direction star has been left devastated by the news and his friends and fans are paying tribute online.

Cheryl added:”@Louis_Tomlinson my heart breaks for you. I am so sorry. My thoughts are with you and your loved ones at this incredibly tragic time.”

While X Factor boss Simon Cowell said Johannah was “incredible”.

Three weeks ago, Louis posted this family photo with his mum and captioned it “I love you so much” made all the more moving by the fact his fans did not know Johannah was ill.

Louis will perform on The X Factor on Saturday in tribute to his late mother.

Louis’ stepfather Dan announced the news in a statement today and said: “It is with immeasurable sadness that Johannah Deakin’s family said goodbye to Johannah in the early hours of Wednesday 7th December 2016.

He continued: “Earlier this year Johannah was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of leukaemia that required immediate and continuous treatment.

“We respectfully request that the family are given time and space to grieve in private.”

Dan went on: “Johannah was first and foremost a truly amazing mother to seven children whose individual talents and success are testament to the principles and beliefs she instilled in them. She was also an incredibly proud grandmother to Freddie.

“Incredibly selfless, she would always look to put other people before herself. She desired nothing more than for everyone around her to be happy and loving. She worked tirelessly on numerous charity campaigns, creating memories for many individuals and their families.

“It wasn’t uncommon for Johannah to hear through the media of an individual in need of assistance, and she would immediately make it her objective to get that person what they often desperately needed, and rarely without success.

“These are the things that made Johannah happy and content in life, and all of which for me made her simply the perfect wife and best friend to face each day with. I thoroughly loved walking through life with her, and though five years was far too short a time, during that time we had so many lifetimes worth of happiness, adventures, and memories.”