One Direction heartthrob Louis Tomlinson has explained that he will always value the friendship of his childhood pals because they've been there through everything and stood by him before he found fame.

Tomlinson confessed to Top of the Pops magazine that as soon as he's back in the company of the people he grew up with he knows that his showbiz friends will never mean as much to him and understands how fake the industry can really be:

"It would be easy to make a lot of new friends in the industry, but when you see your old mates and they treat you the way they always have done, it brings you straight back to earth.”

'Little Things' singer Liam Payne added that he still has the same close group of friends who help to keep him grounded and give him genuine support that comes from a good place: "I've still got the same friends back home as I did before the band. That's really important to me. They treat me the same as they always did.”

Meanwhile, it was confirmed earlier today (October 15) that One Direction will be performing live on 'The X Factor' in the coming weeks after the TV talent show's executive producer tweeted the exciting news.