https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGQZk9F6Dxs

Louis Tomlinson says that rumors he and One Direction bandmate Harry Styles were involved in a relationship described by fans with the portmanteau “Larry Stylinson” were never anything ‘real.'”

RELATED: *One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson Lashes Out Over ‘Bulls**t’ Gay Rumors*

Said Tomlinson in an interview with The Sun:

I’ve never actually been asked about it directly. It’s a funny thing. It kind of happened naturally for me and Harry because a certain amount of the fans drew up this conspiracy. When it first came around I was with Eleanor, and it actually felt a little bit disrespectful to Eleanor, who is my girlfriend now.

I’m so protective over things like that, about the people I love. So it created this atmosphere between the two of us where everyone was looking into everything we did. It took away the vibe you get off anyone. It made everything a little bit more unapproachable. I think [what’s happened since] shows that it was never anything “real” if I can use that word.

Tomlinson also talked about the rumors in a video interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7A_S2FsgPE

Meanwhile, Styles recently said that he feels no need to label his sexuality.

“It’s weird for me — everyone should just be who they want to be,” said Styles. “It’s tough to justify somebody having to answer to someone else about stuff like that.”

When asked if he gives his sexual orientation a label, Styles said: “No, I’ve never felt the need to really. No.”

Styles also recently told a French talk show that he sees LGBT equality as something that’s “fundamental” and not political.

In 2014, Styles told One Direction bandmate Niall Horan “Hey, don’t knock it ’til you try it,” when Horan was asked about dating men.

Watch the video for Tomlinson’s recent single “Back To You”: