Louis Tomlinson shuts down 'b*******' rumours about One Direction split

Louis Tomlinson has rubbished a report claiming that “rivalry and hatred” caused One Direction to split up.

The story was published in The Mirror earlier this week, with the headline “Drugs, meltdowns and 'gay sex' rumours - how 'rivalry and hatred' tore One Direction apart”.

It suggested that speculation about their sexuality and rows between band members contributed to their split.

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But Tomlinson, 27, took to Twitter to insist the article was “b*******”.

“Biggest load of b******* I’ve seen in a while,” he stormed, as he shared a screengrab of the headline.

The star told his 33.3 million followers on the social networking site: “Typical unprovoked venom from The Mirror.”

“Couldn’t be further from the truth!” he added.

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The article coincided with the ninth anniversary of One Direction getting together.

The band – also comprising Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Liam Payne - were put together on the X Factor in 2010.

They were a huge success but went their separate ways in 2015 and launched solo careers.

Earlier this week, Tomlinson thanked his fans as he marked the anniversary of the group starting out.

“So may incredible memories,” he tweeted.

“Days like today are days for reflection, so proud looking back!

“Thank you for ALWAYS having our backs! Big love to the lads! #9YearsOfOneDirection.”

Payne also thanked the band’s followers on Twitter.

“9 years… Amazing to look back at all the memories ands even now you got us trending worldwide after 9 years. You truly are the best fans in the world.”

Horan tweeted: “9 years!!

“Can’t thank you all enough for all the support over the years. Love you.”