Louis Tomlinson has revealed that he only expected One Direction to be on a break ‘for a year or two’ before getting back together.

The boyband, who had four UK number one singles between 2011 and 2015, announced a hiatus in 2016 so the boys could pursue other projects.

Since then, each member, including Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik – who left the group in 2015 – have gone on to have successful solo careers, with Harry Styles arguably the most successful member of the group to date.

So far, there seems to be no sign of a reunion any time soon, but Louis has admitted that he’s been surprised by how long they’ve been apart.

He said: ‘I definitely left the band with a sense of hope, thinking, “Oh, it’ll probably only be a year or two.”

Speaking to MusicWeek, however, he said the picture became clearer after some initial confusion about what “indefinite hiatus” actually meant.

‘When we had those conversations, we were never really clear on that,’ he continued. ‘I remember going into those meetings and saying, “I understand. That’s not what I want – but all I want is a specific amount of time off.”

It’s been almost 10 years since the band went on hiatus – following Zayn’s departure – and Louis admits he initially found it hard to accept.

‘It took me a long time to get over it because I didn’t really know what it was. I think it probably held me back from pursuing my solo career,’ he said.

He said he would be happy to take some time away from One Direction if given a specific timeline or tentative date for their reunion.

Louis also shared that, although the band are looked after by management, the demands of being an artist often get to him.

He added: ‘Being an artist is a very personal business and no manager or record executive can understand the pressures you go through on a daily basis.’

Louis has previously said it would be a ‘crime’ if One Direction never reunited for a reunion tour.