One Direction star Harry Styles is set to return to the TV programme that kickstarted his career.
Simon Cowell is keen to get the singer to perform live as a solo act. “Harry could very well be back on the X Factor stage this year,” a source told The Sun. “Simon has made it clear he is very keen to have him on in a guest slot.
“He sees him as a major ratings boost for the show and it’s also a chance for him to publicly show his support for Harry as a solo artist.
One Direction were formed on the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. And while the band went their separate ways in January 2016, fans would love to see them back together.
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Harry’s former bandmate Liam Payne said this shouldn’t be ruled out. “I think we will reunite at some point in the future,” he said. “We have to!”
“We’ve got an album we haven’t even toured yet. And I want to write some more songs as well with the boys.”
Simon Cowell, who was instrumental in their success, would also like to see them reunite.
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“You know, it’s fun being out there on your own but what I hope is going to happen is that they remember now how much fun it was being in a group,” he told The Sun.
“I always believe that you don’t make rules, you break the rules.
“So there’s nothing to stop them, if they want to, getting together for a tour, for an album.”
The award-winning group also comprised Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, who quit in March 2015. And they’ve all gone on to forge successful solo careers.
Harry recently made his critically acclaimed acting debut in war film Dunkirk. Louis Tomlinson recently admitted that Harry’s solo success could hamper chances of a reunion.
“Honestly I just think it’s too difficult to say [when the band will reunite], especially with someone like Harry who’s got so much potential,” he told The Sun.
“It’s just kind of a confusing place for him to be as an individual, to be like, ‘Okay, what’s next?'”
Filming has already begun on the next series of the X Factor, with Simon Cowell, Sharon Osborne, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger back on the judging panel.