Liam Payne has defended his girlfriend Cheryl following comments made by Louis Walsh. At a photocall on Thursday, Louis – joined by his X Factor group 5 After Midnight – was asked how he would react if Cheryl was to return to the talent show. "Well Simon wouldn't invite Cheryl back because he have Nicole," he abruptly replied. "We have Nicole and Sharon so we don't need another girl." He then lent forward and playfully slapped the reporter's arm, adding: "No silly questions, seriously. It's not about Cheryl, don't be stupid man."
Louis Walsh angered Liam Payne with comments he made about Cheryl
News of Louis' comments filtered back to Liam, and he took to Twitter to hit out at the 64-year-old. "Congratulations Louis Walsh for setting the worst example on handling the media for his band who are about to step into a very hard industry," he wrote.
He swiftly followed it up with a second tweet, telling Louis it was time for him to realise "it's not all about you" and that he should let the band "speak".
The 23-year-old took to Twitter to hit out at the X Factor star
Liam's angered response quickly set Twitter on fire with fans rushing to share their thoughts on the spat - including Cheryl herself. The 33-year-old simply wrote "Oh" followed by three emojis – a frog, a cup of tea and a grey smiling face, a reference to the Kermit the Frog 'mind your own business' meme.
Cheryl and Louis have had a famously rocky relationship in the past. And it's also not the first time that Liam and Louis have clashed. The outspoken Irishman previously told the Telegraph that One Direction's biggest problem was that they "believed the hype around them".
Cheryl herself responded to Liam's post
He said: "We create monsters in the music business – they only become famous because they've been on the show and we got you those songs. They're lucky… but some get a sense of entitlement and believe the hype. Too many artists appear to forget where they came from."