Louis Tomlinson has opened up about the 'challenges' of becoming a father at the age of just 24.
The One Direction star, 33, shares his son Freddie with his ex Briana Jungwirth, also 33. They welcomed their son in 2016, following a brief fling.
Now, Louis has discussed raising his nine-year-old boy and balancing fatherhood with fame and his career.
Speaking to Steven Bartlett on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, he said: 'I was young, just 24. I felt utterly confident I felt like I would be a good dad and he is the sweetest and he is so kind. I am so proud.
'I'm 33 now and feeling a bit older getting a few grey hairs but when I pick him up from school, I am a young dad which is good for my ego.'
The singer, who found fame in global mega band One Direction, explained how he 'doesn't get enough time' with his son due to balancing his life in LA and the UK.
He continued: 'Something that can be challenging with Freddie, it was the elephant in the room for ages, was me talking about my life and the fame specifically.
'When it became inevitable and if we were out at Target and someone stops me for a photo, eight times out of 10 I'll take the photo.
'But if I am with Freddie one thousand percent I won't take the picture because I don't get enough time with him as it is, I'm away touring or in the UK, so it's a flat no every time.
'After the second time that happened though, I realised that he might think I'm a dk and I'm there pushing for him to be polite and kind and then I’ve done that.'
The Story Of My Life singer also recalled how he picked up Freddie from school while the class were doing karaoke one day and the teacher put him in an uncomfortable situation.
'When I'm picking up Freddie from school I'm just the dad, but I picked him up once and of all the days to pick him up there doing karaoke.
'She [his teacher] had no problem asking me in front of everyone and in front of Freddie and his friends to sing, I had to politely decline.'
Last October, Freddie looked the spitting image of the former One Direction star as he made a rare appearance in a family TikTok video.
Louis said: 'I was young, just 24. I felt utterly confident I would be a good dad. I'm 33 now and feeling a older, but when I pick him up from school, I am a young dad which is good for my ego'
The singer, who found fame in global mega band One Direction, explained how he 'doesn't get enough time' with his son due to balancing his life in LA and the UK;
Freddie, who was just eight at the time, could be seen with his long blond hair enjoying a day out with his aunties, Louis' twin sisters Phoebe and Daisy Tomlinson, in Los Angeles.
Gobsmacked fans couldn't believe how grown up Freddie is and said how similar he and Louis now look.
In the video, Daisy documented their trip to get frozen yogurt with Phoebe and her 9-month-old daughter Olive.
In the video, Daisy said: 'Me, Phoe, Freddie and Rach headed out to Pinkberry. We really fancied one, so I thought, "Let's go!"'
In the comments some fans wrote: 'Freddie got so big', 'HELP HE WALKS LIKE LOUIS', 'Freddie is definitely louis twin', 'Freddie is a mini louis'.
Louis' other sister Lottie Tomlinson also shared a video on Instagram of her son Lucky playing with Freddie in the swimming pool on holiday earlier this month.
Elsewhere in the interview, Louis said his former bandmate Liam Payne's death has 'completely put a pin in' a potential One Direction reunion.
The singer explained how his late friend had been 'campaigning' for the Best Song Ever hitmakers to reunite, but now Louis doesn't believe it 'would be right' following Liam's tragic passing.
Liam suffered a fatal fall off a hotel balcony in Argentina in October 2024 at the age of 31, and a subsequent toxicology report revealed alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system.
He continued: 'Something that can be challenging with Freddie, it was the elephant in the room for ages, was me talking about my life and the fame specifically'
'We were at Target and someone stops me for a photo, eight times out of 10 I’ll take the photo, but if I am with Freddie one thousand percent won’t take the picture because don’t get enough time him as it is away touring UK so flat no every time'
Liam and Louis found fame alongside One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik on the X Factor in 2010.
Louis said: 'Never say never, right, but I'm just not sure it would be right to him [Liam].
'Say for the sake of argument, 25 year's time, it's like a f*g Oasis thing, they offer us an arm and a leg, and they're like, 'Come back and do this many shows'.
'I don't know. It's just completely put a pin in all of that.'
'And the irony is, there was no one campaigning for One Direction to get back more than Liam. I would say I came in a close second.'
'There is now only three other people on the planet that will deeply understand my professional journey.'
One Direction found superstardom after appearing on the X Factor in 2010 and went on to sell a whopping 70M records worldwide.
They won almost 200 awards, including seven Brit Awards, four MTV Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, and 28 Kids' Choice Award.