Liam Payne has claimed that former boss Simon Cowell created One Direction with him in mind.
The former boy band star was famously booted off The X Factor in 2008 when he was just 14 years old.
A gutted Liam was told to return to the ITV talent show and audition again two years later.
This time he was put through as part of boy band One Direction and reached the finals.
Although they lost out to Matt Cardle, who won the show in 2010, the fivesome went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world.
Speaking of the band's early days, Liam told Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast that he was the original One Direction member.
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The 28-year-old shared: “From what I’ve heard part of the reason One Direction was made was because of Simon’s promise to me. That in two years I’ll make this work for you.
“So he kind of started with my face and worked out around the rest. I’ve never told this story before.”
US YouTuber Logan exclaimed: “Wow, you were the inception?” to which Liam replies: “I was the honorary member of One Direction, yes.”
Liam added: “He [Simon] told me that story himself in his house.”
Explaining the chat him and Simon had after he was booted off The X Factor in 2008, Liam said: “We had dinner with my mum.
"Simon was like ‘I’m really sorry I had to let you go. I didn’t want to let you go but you have to go and get your education and come back in two years.
“The manager of One Direction was at that dinner. He also worked around X Factor for a very long time.
“At this point I was really mad at Simon because I thought I’d beat the kid that got through.”
When he returned to the show two years later Liam said he became “everyone’s nemesis” at bootcamp as he’d been on the show before.
He also revealed it was obvious who was going to do well on the show “because the cameras follow you all the time”.
As a solo singer Liam found himself being booted off again.
But as him and pal Nile Horan were heading to catch the train home the pair were approached by members of the X Factor team.
Liam explained: “This woman came running behind us and said ‘please come back, the judges want to speak to you.’
“They’d already done this to me once, so I was like ‘are you going to mess with my emotions some more’.
“They stood there and picked us out and they picked a girl band out at the same time.”
Asked how the rest of the group was chosen, Liam said: “That bit I don’t know. I should ask my ex-partner [Cheryl] actually because she was there on that day.
“I don’t know how they chose the rest of them – but they made the right choices. It’s crazy. And to see where we’ve got to now.”
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