Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles: I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You - The X Factor Years (2010-2011) Part III

Just a refresher: the closing statement from Part II:

November 2010 was indeed an eye-opening month for Louis and Harry’s origin story and for their rapidly growing fanbase. But there is one more classic video diary from November that Narnia would be negligent not to spotlight, and will kick off Part III. Let’s just say that for those who have been paying attention to Louis and Harry since Glastonbury 2025, there is little doubt that they are publicly reconnecting with one another in big ways as well as small. Most importantly, while this realignment is underway, they want us to come aboard and set sail with them. They are telling us, very loudly, that the time for waiting is over.

From color schemes and fashion choices to evocative song lyrics, to even the selection of cover songs, like “Everybody Wants to Rule The World”, to the call and response naming of their current tours (How Did We Get Here? – Together Together), they are inviting us to join them on this adventure. That’s what Harry being awarded a Blue Peter Gold Badge at Wembley on July 4 (famously known as Independence Day in America) was about. Like always, they are talking with us. Don’t get caught up in the distractions (Signgate) and the strategic trolling still being unleashed on the Larrie fandom by those same forces who determined that they had "to fade it" back in 2016, aka Hiatus from Hell™. The very same operatives who very much, in 2026, still want “to rule the world”, [keep Louis and Harry in that room (The Closet) where the light won't find them.] 

There's a room where the light won't find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do, I'll be right behind you

So glad we've almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world

When Harry was first announced as this year's Meltdown Festival curator on February 16, 2026, it was no surprise that something heartfelt and special would be organized. Harry may be a charming goofball, but he is an edgy cerebral one. After seeing and hearing what he had planned for the evening, the reality was in many ways more complicated. Yet so simple. In addition to designing an impressive eleven-day multi-arts program, which featured artists from diverse musical genres, Harry also had made intentional musical choices for his own orchestral setlist. From "Boyfriends" to "Two Ghosts" to the "The Waiting Game" and "Coming Up Roses". To Harry concluding his performance with the haunting and impassioned masterpiece of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". A song about struggle and hardship. About sacrifice and endurance. About being someone's source of strength and safety. In other words, his breathtaking rendition of the Simon and Garfunkel classic was an intimate homage to Louis Tomlinson, as he emoted about what unconditional love looks and feels like. From beginning to end, Harry poured his heart out. Almost like he was playing to an audience of one. Because he was.

Although Louis and Harry have been referencing their lived experience and shared past for over a year, it is still astonishing to be reminded again about just how inventive and rebellious both men can be. Meltdown was more than a performance. It was a shoutout to Harry and Louis' past and for those who might remember the iconic phrase from the most important person in the world to Harry. Someone he curated an entire setlist around: "No! Jimmy protested."

Nov 15, 2010 - Week 7

Remember how Louis was reading from a book during this video diary? A book by the author, Ben Elton. Recall the title?

Meltdown

Ingenious doesn't even begin to describe how these two brains operate together. But they are experts at working the edges. Practicing plausible deniability. Walking through the raindrops. Are you listening yet?

The month of December begins with the same sugar high of November. Just like with any other couple in love, each one was finding ways to make the other happy. Often flying outside their comfort zones just to show how much they inspired each other. Normal couply stuff. In the case of Larrie Lore, one of these extra efforts involved Louis' iconic first cooking experience, which Harry couldn't wait to gleefully share with the world. Just like any other proud boyfriend being courted would do. 

There's that shared secret winky face again.

The photo Harry attached to the tweet above

When people immediately jumped to the conclusion that Louis was cooking a romantic meal for Hannah, his public girlfriend, she made sure to jump in and set the record straight that she was not even there. Hmm, doesn't sound like a beard for hire. More like a friend from school trying to help a friend out. Further discussion on this topic will be discussed in a future installment.

For many years, Louis and Harry confirmed this romantic meal as it soon came to be known as. Underscored by the following meme worthy oration: "Chicken stuffed with mozzarella wrapped in parma ham with a side of homemade mash."

Queue up the coordinated hand gestures.

Valentine's Day Teemix interview, Paris, 2012

Yep, Harry knows!

Cambio Valentine's Interview, 2.4.12. Filmed on 1.31.12, in London

Jonathan Ross Show June 16, 2013

Harry licking his lips while he fondly (hungrily) looks at Louis describing that one cooked meal

Six years later, Solo Louis was still going strong regarding his culinary accomplishment. LOL! Sounds like that romantic experience must have meant a lot to him. Right, Harry?

HitsLive Birmingham May 4, 2019

"Very Ambitious"

Louis and Harry sure were proud of that meal. Probably because that experience had little to do with the food and everything to do with the romance. Enough said.

As the countdown moves closer toward the X Factor Finale, set for December 11-12, Louis and Harry's comfort level with one another openly progresses beyond hugs, full-bodied embraces, soft gazes, and secret glances into Louis publicly displaying his intoxication with Harry's smell. That's right, his smell. The infamous, unscripted, hair-sniffing moment captured on live TV, Dec 5, during The Results episode. Just in case anyone wondered if this moment was just an isolated instance, the answer is, hardly. In fact, Louis would tweet out his continued olfactory partiality for a certain someone again on March 9, 2012. By no means a platonic affirmation. Hardly a passing phase. 

Here's a gif and video of Louis' intoxication with Harry's scent on full panoramic display, without a hint of shyness. Both completely oblivious to outside surroundings. Both fully embracing the shared moment together. Love drunk.

Dec 5, 2010

Season 7, Live Show 9 Results episode, aired Dec 5, 2010

Their utter ability to be mesmerized by one another was no mystery because one week earlier, Louis was already speaking in a language, suggestive of commitment. Still couched in humor for safety, but combined with everything else, it was obvious that something meaningful had happened between these two young men. Something lifechanging.

Don't let it be lost that Harry said that he would marry a man

Video diary, Week 8, Nov 29, 2010

It was clear that by the time the Home Visit segment of the show began on Dec 6, Louis and Harry were boyfriends in a committed relationship. By this time, the portmanteau of Larry Stylinson had been around since October 28 and Harry was not the least bit bothered with the meaning being conveyed.

Larry Stylinson tweet 11.22.10

Moreover, these two had already become family before the X Factor had ended as was evidenced by Harry's stepdad welcoming all of One Direction to Holmes Chapel on Dec 7, during the Home Visit segment, but significantly only Louis and Harry shared a knowing moment between each other in response.

Video of Robin and Anne talking to the boys, Dec 7, 2010, Home Visit segment

Obviously, December 2010 was a pivotal time in terms of Louis and Harry's career and personal relationship so, not surprisingly, there's still more to come regarding the remaining weeks of that month. By the time the show was visiting Holmes Chapel, Doncaster, Bradford and Wolverhampton (severe weather prevented a visit to Mullingar), there was no need to play Spot the Couple any longer. No one could miss their bond. No one could miss their intentional coordination. These two had fallen hard and they made that reality everyone else's problem.

Dec 7, 2010 Holmes Chapel 

Matching boots? Oh, c'mon fellas! They probably thought the different colors would fool everyone.

There now, steady love, so few come and don't go

Will you, won't you, be the one I'll always know?

When I'm losing my control, the city spins around

You're the only one who knows to slow it down

    "Look After You" Louis Tomlinson (Cover)

Playlist:  Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
                Harry Styles, Everybody Wants to Rule the World – (Tears for Fears Cover)
                Harry Styles, Bridge Over Troubled Waters – (Simon and Garfunkel Cover)
                Louis Tomlinson, Look After You – (The Fray Cover)

Sources: YouTube, Meltdown Festival, Instagram, X Factor, ITV, Tumblr, X, Ben Elton-Meltdown, TeeMix, Cambio, Jonathan Ross, HitsLive, Birmingham, BBC - Blue Peter Badge

 

Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles: I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You - The X Factor Years (2010-2011) Part II

One Direction on X Factor, Nov 2010

November was an eye opening month regarding Louis and Harry's evolution as popular members of a boyband that was rapidly growing in popularity throughout the UK. In terms of raw numbers, Series Seven of the X Factor ended up with an average weekly audience of 14+ million viewers. While the Grand Finale show, which aired between Dec 11-12, brought in an estimated 20 million. As the group grew in popularity and visibility so did Louis and Harry's uninhibited interactions on the show. Constantly seeking out ways to be together while being "handsy" with one another at seemingly every opportunity. From humorous sketches and contestant games like Megamind and Spin the Harry, to gratuitous appearances by Harry in a couple of Quickfire sketches hosted by Louis, there was Harry, happy and eager to join in on the fun and revel in the steadfast, doting attention; inevitably and predictably, Harry ended up being Louis' favorite time and time again. Louis' boy. Regardless of the situation or the setting.

One-track mind Louis, lifts Harry up from below the TV camera lens and announces his victory, even though Niall & Matt Cardle were the ones playing the game. LOLLL!

Somehow in the middle of living their dreams over the last several months, a dose of cold reality penetrated their blissful little world around the fifth week of the competition. The timeline and details about the incident are still murky, even sixteen years later, but deductive reasoning can fill in the blanks pretty handily. On November 5 (Friday), an article appears about a contestant gone missing from the X Factor premises. Explained away with a story that Louis Tomlinson was feeling overwhelmed with the pressures of the competition and decided to return home to clear his head for a few days.

As the media coverage developed around this story, an even more implausible element was introduced. The public version of events was that Louis "forgot" to inform the production staff of his departure. The problem with that part of the narrative was that Week Five’s Live Show took place on Saturday (Nov 6), and it doesn't make much sense, given rehearsal schedules, that he would voluntarily leave for a few days and go home to Doncaster on a Thursday. In other words, whatever happened, had to have occurred earlier that week. Perhaps even on a Sunday (Halloween), which we have learned since was a favorite holiday for both Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Styles. Back-to-back Paintgates in 2012 and 2013 and subsequent Harryweens, are just a few illustrative examples that come to mind.

The other part of the story that is highly suspect was that Louis never looked "crushed" by any competition pressure, and since he and Harry were snugly joined at the hip, this alleged willing separation seems farfetched to say the least. Moreover, this version of events doesn't even begin to address another piece of information which was circulating around Nov 4, 2010. 

And this may be the biggest smoking gun of all. One Direction typically filmed their video diaries on a Monday which in this instance, would have been Nov 1. But for some reason, both Louis and Harry seemed exceptionally tired that day. So much so that it would  have been hard for the production staff not to notice and result in some kind of consequence.

Video Diary, Week 5 Nov 1, 2010

You touched me goodnight

Butterflied both our bellies

You and me are skipping sleep 

With dirty feet

Ready, steady, go

Regardless of whatever took place that week, nothing was stopping Louis and Harry from being in each other's back pockets while continuing to drop hints about the personal nature of their on and off stage relationship. At this point of their involvement, the intimacy was not only physical but observably emotional as well.

Two examples provide an excellent window into just how far things had evolved at this juncture in their attachment.  Interestingly enough, both instances occurred successively on November 5 and 6 during the week of the "constant same sex action" rumor.

Niall hosting a contestant-centered "talk show" called, "Question Time" with Louis, which aired on
Nov 5, 2010

A smiling, delighted Harry

A coy Louis

A provocative conversation, to say the least, given the juicy gossip that had been circulating that week. But then again, Louis and Harry have always been known for their media awareness and their timely and artful gay-coded messaging. 

Then the following day, on Nov 6, the Dream Team are right back to being as physically close and subversive as ever. 

LOLLLL! With that TMI (actually not), let's enjoy more visual evidence of how Louis and Harry continued to make their relationship more and more public. 

Louis and Harry openly embracing outside Fountain Studios, Nov 2010

By the way, closing one's eyes when being hugged, is not only an indication of deep trust, but emotional intimacy and sensory immersion. Shutting one's eyes allows a person to fully focus on physical sensations (e.g. warmth, touch, scent).

One Direction walking down the street, Covent Gardens, Nov 10, 2010

Louis and Harry walking down the street

Spot the Couple

Fountain Studios, Nov 12, 2010 - "I love you, Harry"

Arm in arm, circa Nov 19, 2010

Closey close

Harry still looking at Louis - Louis' arm still looped in Harry's 

Just four lads out bowling, All Star Lanes Nov 25, 2010

Just two boyfriends out bowling and holding hands (Note that Louis is wearing Harry's gray hoodie because, when cold, he gets "a bit moody").

November 2010 was indeed an eye-opening month for Louis and Harry’s origin story and for their rapidly growing fanbase. But there is one more classic video diary from November that Narnia would be negligent not to spotlight, and will kick off Part III. Let’s just say that for those who have been paying attention to Louis and Harry since Glastonbury 2025, there is little doubt that they are publicly reconnecting with one another in big ways and small. Most importantly, while this realignment is underway, they want us to come aboard and set sail with them. The time for waiting is over.

From color schemes to song lyrics, to the selection of cover songs, like “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” to the call and response naming of their current tours (How Did We Get Here? – Together Together), they are inviting us to join them on this adventure. That’s what Harry being awarded a Blue Peter Gold Badge at Wembley on July 4 (famously known as Independence Day in America) was about. Like always, they are talking with us. Don’t get caught up in the distractions (Signgate) and the strategic trolling still being unleashed on the Larrie fandom with those same forces who determined that they had "to fade it" back in 2016 and who very much, in 2026, still want “to rule the world”. 

Sources: Now Magazine, ITV, Tumblr, X, YouTube

Playlist: Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley
              Dancing in the Moonlight - Thin Lizzy

              For the First Time – The Script
              Hannah - Ray LaMontagne

          

Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles: I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You - The X Factor Years (2010-2011)

Because Louis and Harry seemed to enjoy a soulmate connection from the beginning of their X Factor appearances, inexplicably drawn to each other within what often seemed like an invisible magnetic force field, fans couldn't help but notice their special relationship once the show began. 

July 23, 2010 (all three pics from the same day the group was put together)

 

Louis and Harry lost in their own world, July 23, 2010

The chemistry, in fact, was so off the charts that speculation persists to this day about whether they might have met prior to their Live Show auditions on July 10, 2010. 

Judges House X Factor Aug 30, 2010, Marbella, Spain - aired Oct 2, 2010

[Gee, Narnia wonders why Harry smiles and gently nudges Louis' arm when the interviewer points out that Louis is the only one "taken". Inside joke, perhaps.  😉]

Given there was even a hint of speculation about Louis and Harry's instantaneous chemistry, only goes to underscore just how turbocharged their interactions were from the start. Naturally drawn into each other's orbit.  Happy just to be sharing the same space. Proud to let everyone know that they were spending unlimited amounts of time together. Inseparable. All the while complemented by lots and lots of flirting, touching, prolonged gazes, giggles and laughter. Their constant proximity to one another only intensified by the seemingly unending physical contact. Cuddles, hand holding, hugs, pats, head nuzzling, pulling each other closer, etc.

One time is alright

Two times is one too many

One, two, three times you're on me and suddenly

Ready, steady, go

Tickle fight, circa Sept 20, 2010, moving into the X Factor House

What's your love language, Louis. "I'm a romantic at heart" - Capital Buzz Portrait Mode Interview. 10.31.25

By September, just in case anyone missed the "camaraderie" that was taking place, there were a flood of tweets from Louis and Harry to make sure there was no doubt with whom the two were spending time. The perceptible shift in behavior probably coincided with contestants' NDAs lapsing after the show's Boot Camp results aired on ITV, Sept 26, 2010. Wasting no time at all, the dam bursts on Sept 27:

                                         

                                          How telling that Louis never responded to Emma's question

                                          about that Follow from Harry. Instead he used her question as an

                                          opportunity to let her know that Harry was sitting beside him.

 

Note that their first twitcam was not with all the members of One Direction, but rather with each other.     

                                                                           

Matching Louis' enthusiasm, but a bit more subtle, Harry was the social media chatterbox, a few weeks earlier in the month, posting several song lyrics about falling in love with someone who was amazing.

"Just the Way You Are", by Bruno Mars. One of Louis' favorite artists

Synchronicity - Dec 22, 2011 Up All Night Tour O2 Apollo, Manchester

"This place is incredible for me….I remember I stood right there, watching The Script. And it turns out, Louis was in the same gig."

"For the First Time",  by The Script, was a group Louis and Harry had seen in concert on the same day at the same venue, but not together (O2 Apollo Manchester) on Feb 8, 2009 

Destiny at work

The song was called, "Hannah", by Ray LaMontagne the name of Louis' public girlfriend - Nothing better than a clever and petty Harry Styles

It was revealing that Harry ended his tweet spree with these particular lyrics on Sept 18. Just a few days before One Direction moved into the X Factor House in North London. The title of the song is "Dancing in the Moonlight" (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight) by Thin Lizzy, and covered by The Smashing Pumpkins in the 1990s. The record is about the exhilaration of young love and chasing your adolescent crush. Love the winky semicolon which conveys a cheeky message. Perhaps even a shared secret.

Then we have the beginnings of the massive visual evidence that something heartfelt was happening in real time, 

First photo captioned with the Portmanteau, Larry Stylinson, on Oct 28, 2010. The photo was from Oct 4, 2010 Week 1, X Factor

Now let's enjoy some X Factor moments between LouisandHarry because their bond and intimacy was already a force to be reckon with by Week 1.

Week 1 Video Diaries Oct 4, 2010

Interview with X Factor contestants before Week 1 Oct 7, 2010

Week 1 Live Results Show, Louis comforting/calming Harry, Oct 10, 2010

Live Results Oct 10, 2010

Holding Hands Week 2, circa Oct 14, 2010

After One Direction's Week 2 Live Performance, Oct 16, 2010 A smitten Harry

Oct 16, 2010

October 16, 2010 Harry holding Louis' hand

Week 2 Live performance, Results Show Oct 17, 2010 Harry hugs Cowell, but immediately shifts his gaze and smile onto Louis

Week 3, Video Diaries Oct 18, 2010

Week 4 Video Diaries, Oct 25, 2010 Harry uses the gender neural pronoun, "them"

For your eyes only, I'll show you my heart - Fountain Studios Oct 28, 2010

Louis and Harry just hanging out on X Factor, Oct 31, 2010

(Harry's comfortable body lean)

Stay tuned for the next installment of Louis and Harry's love story. November will be full of romance as well as some drama as the boys become even more daring and open with their relationship. 

Sources: ITV2, Capital Buzz, Tumblr, X

Playlist:  Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley

                 I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith

                 Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden

                 Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol