One Direction to break up

One Direction — comprised of Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson — have reportedly decided to take at least a year out to focus on solo projects and will not tour their upcoming fifth album.

A source told The Sun, “The guys have been together for five years, which is an incredible run for any boy band. They fully deserve to have at least a year to work on their own projects.

There is absolutely no bad blood between them and they are all 100 per cent behind the decision.” The group, who were formed on the UK X Factor in 2010, made the decision during crunch talks in London last weekend and their final show will be on October 31.

The Sun reports that they have some work commitments in February and will take their break in March. The source added to The Sun that Zayn Malik’s shock departure in March was not a factor in the split and it would have happened with or without him. The news should not come as a shock as just a few weeks ago, Liam insisted the group was desperately in need of some time out.

During an interview with Free Radio, Liam, 21, explained, “I think everyone needs a little bit of a break now, and a sit down and a stop, to kind of take in all the great things that’ve happened.” Liam, who is dating his childhood friend Sophia Smith, also admitted that he wants to write music for other artistes and is interested in launching a DJ career. Apparently, Harry, 21, has been tipped for solo stardom and The Sun reports that Sony are keen to make him an offer. However, Harry could turn his back on music for a career in Hollywood and producer Harvey Weinstein is keen to turn him into a star.

Harvey also revealed that he had already offered Harry a role in his movie Tulip Fever but the singer had to turn it down due to One Direction commitments. Louis, 23, is set to become a dad in the near future following a fling with his friend Briana Jungwirth. Reportedly, Louis is involved with Sony’s Be In The Band search, which aims to find talented female musicians to form a girl group.

Niall, 21, is also reportedly interested in launching a solo career, recently writing with pal Justin Bieber. Obviously, the die-hard One Direction fans have been left devastated.