Louis Tomlinson has spoken out to insist he did not endorse an animated love scene between himself and Harry Styles in a US TV show.
An episode of HBO’s Euphoria depicted a sexual scene between Louis and his former One Direction bandmate, as it told the story of a fan-fiction writer.
Viewers saw the author, played by Barbie Ferreira, pen a graphic story about “Larry Stylinson”, the name a real-life section of the 1D fandom devoted to the belief Harry and Louis were in a secret relationship.
The scene in question saw an animated Harry perform oral sex on Louis in a bid to calm his nerves before a concert.
As one annoyed fan on Twitter questioned whether Louis and Harry were aware of the scene, Louis replied: “I can categorically say that I was not contacted nor did I approve it.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, actor Barbie explained why the “Larry Stylinson” story resonated with her.
She said: “When I first read the script, that was the first thing that popped out to me because I can relate to that as a 22-year-old woman who lived through the One Direction age. It’s such a reality for so many people, and so many children and teens that are fans just have this escapist world.
“You completely give yourself to this persona of a person you don’t even know, or five guys, and imaging the way they interact the escaping from your own reality. It’s really interesting to me because I was definitely a part of that, where I wanted to escape my own life and focus on others because it was easier and felt more meaningful.”
Louis has frequently shut down fan theories he and Harry have been romantically involved over the years.
In an interview with The Sun last year, Louis said: “It’s a funny thing. It kind of happened naturally for me and Harry because a certain amount of the fans drew up this conspiracy.
“When it first came around I was with Eleanor, and it actually felt a little bit disrespectful to Eleanor, who is my girlfriend now.
“I’m so protective over things like that, about the people I love. So it created this atmosphere between the two of us where everyone was looking into everything we did.
“It took away the vibe you get off anyone. It made everything, I think on both fences, a little bit more unapproachable. I think it shows that it was never anything real, if I can use that word.”