Louis Tomlinson has spoken out after his performance on The X Factor in tribute to his late mum Johannah Deakin.
The One Direction star performed his debut solo single Just Hold On with Steve Aoki last night, which he dedicated to his mother, who sadly passed away on Wednesday after an intense battle with leukaemia.
Taking to Twitter, the singer admitted that performing just days after his mother’s death was “harder than I ever imagined”, but found peace in the fact that she “would have been so f***ing proud”.
“That was harder than I ever imagined. I want to thank everyone around me and all of the amazing fans out there that made that so special!
That was harder than I ever imagined. I want to thank everyone around me and all of the amazing fans out there that made that so special!
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) December 11, 2016
Feeling so much love around me and my family . Mum would have been so fucking proud ( sorry for swearing mum ? ) love you !
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) December 11, 2016
Also @steveaoki , you have been such a rock and inspiration throughout this ! Pure talent and a real gent !
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) December 11, 2016
“Feeling so much love around me and my family. Mum would have been so f***ing proud (sorry for swearing mum ?) love you! Also @Steveaoki, you have been such a rock and inspiration throughout this! Pure talent and a real gent,” Louis tweeted.
After his performance, Louis’ former mentor Simon Cowell told him how proud his mum would be of him.
“Louis, I have to say something to you, what you’ve just done, and the bravery, I respect you as an artist and as a person. Your mum was so proud of you Louis. She was so looking forward to tonight and she’s looking down on you,” he said.
Meanwhile, Louis’ 1D bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Liam Payne attended Wembley Arena to support him last night, just days after his beloved mum passed away at the age of 43.
The famed bandmates have not been in the same room together since last December, after going on a long-term hiatus.
“Harry, Niall and Liam all wanted to be there to support Louis tonight for what was undoubtedly one of the most difficult moments of his life. It was an incredible and special thing for them to get back together as a four and be like brothers again,” a source told The Sun.
“Niall flew in overnight from New York so he could be there and Liam came from Los Angeles. It was that important they were together. They were all in Louis’s dressing room together and it was obviously an incredible emotional night.”
One Direction were first discovered on The X Factor back in 2010, and signed to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco.
Former One Direction member Zayn Malik was not backstage at X Factor for the reunion, but tweeted his support to Louis.
