‘WE'RE ALL FEELING THAT 10 YEARS IS VERY SPECIAL'

AS THEY APPROACH THEIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY, OK! CELEBRATES ONE DIRECTION AND LOOKS BACK AT THEIR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENTS

- KIRSTY HATCHER

Back in early 2010, the names Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan meant nothing to us. That is until Simon Cowell brought the five teenagers together on The X Factor to form One Direction – who went on to become the biggest boy band in the world.

The group, who will celebrate their 10th anniversary in July, have sold 50 million records and won seven Brits, seven American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards and 28 Teen Choice Awards. They’ve also achieved four number one singles, including their debut track What Makes You Beautiful. Four of their five albums shot to the top of the charts, while their third studio album, Midnight Memories, was the best-selling album worldwide in 2013, shifting a huge four million copies.

So popular were the boys that when Zayn Malik did a Robbie Williams and announced he was leaving the band in 2015, #ZaynPain began trending and the Samaritans had to set up a helpline for those struggling with the news. Zayn hasn’t minced his words when it comes to his reason for leaving the band, saying he wanted to make “real music”.

The band further broke hearts when the rest of the members announced a hiatus just months later to focus on solo projects. But, earlier this month, Liam gave fans a glimmer of hope when he revealed the band are planning a special project to mark their milestone anniversary. “There’s a number of different things that we are all working on to try and make it happen,” he said. “We’re all feeling that 10 years is a very special moment.”