Louis Tomlinson opened up on coping with grief as he made his first TV appearance since the death of his sister Félicité, saying people should talk about it more.
Eighteen-year-old Félicité died of a suspected heart attack last month, over a year after her and Tomlinson’s mother Johannah died, aged 43, following a battle with leukaemia in 2016.
Tomlinson, 27, penned his latest single Two of Us about dealing with Johannah’s death. Speaking on Lorraine, in an interview which took place five days before his sister died, he said: “We can all talk about it a little bit more which is why I feel good about singing the lyrics because it was a moment for me to speak about it publicly and put it into lyrics.”
Explaining the piano in the opening verse he said: “My mum was always obsessed with me playing piano and they said ‘what about playing the opening verse on piano’ and normally I might have said no but knowing she liked that idea I just went for it.”
Tomlinson said “priceless” moments with his three-year-old son Freddie, who he shares with ex-girlfriend Briana Jungwirth, have helped him to cope.
“It’s the responsibility side of things that almost has made the process a little bit easier for me,” he said. “When I spend time with Freddie you feel so much love it doesn’t matter what is going on, in that moments that’s all you’re thinking about.”
Tomlinson said kick starting a solo career after years with his “forever brothers” in One Direction was “daunting” and that despite being on a hiatus a reunion for the boyband is a “must”.
Tomlinson cancelled his first performance of Two Of Us on Comic Relief last month after Félicité collapsed outside her home in Earl’s Court, West London.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said: “Police were called by London Ambulance Service at 12.52 on Wednesday, March 13 to a residential address... following reports of a female in cardiac arrest.
“A female believed to be aged 18 was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination will take place in due course."
Lorraine is on ITV, weekdays at 8:30am
