Inside Louis Tomlinson’s unbreakable bond with woman who has supported him through unthinkable tragedy – & it’s not Zara

A SPECIAL woman in Louis Tomlinson’s life credits the “amazing”; singer with making her feel like the “luckiest girl in the world”; – but it isn’t his new flame Zara McDermott.

The 33-year-old One Direction star has an unbreakable bond with three women who herald him as one of their heroes: the sisters he grew up with.

While Louis has a total of seven siblings altogether, including a half sister through his estranged father, it was Lottie, 26, and 21-year-old twins Phoebe and Daisy who he spent his formative years with.

Doncaster-born Louis has always been a devoted big brother – even aged just seven and a half, he wept the first time he held his newborn little sister Lottie, immediately smitten.

Louis has been their anchor as their lives were spiralling out of control

Despite the megastardom he found in One Direction at 18, he has remained fiercely loyal and protective of his siblings and draws constant praise from them for being a rock amid a series of heartbreaking family tragedies.

A source tells Fabulous: “He has been their anchor as their lives were spiralling out of control.”;

Louis is also a doting big brother to his youngest half-siblings, 11-year-old twins Ernest and Doris, who were just two when mum Johannah Deakin, a midwife and TV assistant, died in 2016.

She was 43 when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a severe form of blood and bone marrow cancer, and died eight months after her diagnosis.

‘Parental figure'

The family endured yet more grief when Louis’ sister Félicité died accidentally, aged just 18, from an overdose of cocaine, anxiety drug Xanax, and painkillers in 2019.

The source added: “Daisy and Phoebe were only 12 when they lost their mum, so naturally Louis stepped up to be a parental figure for them.

“They look up to him in that respect, but he has also always been on hand to help them with industry advice – you couldn’t ask for a more supportive big brother.”

But while his popstar lifestyle demands he spend large chunks of his time globe-trotting, he sees his sisters as frequently as possible, with the brood remaining an incredibly tight-knit bunch.

On his rumoured romance with Zara, another insider revealed: “The sisters all know of Zara and think she is a lovely person.

“Just as Louis is protective over them, they are protective over him and only want the best for him.”

Louis, who was devastated by the death of his One Direction band mate Liam Payne in October, says he has channelled his heartache into becoming a stronger person.

“It gives me strength everywhere else in my life, because that’s the darkest s**t that I’m going to have to deal with,”; he said.

“I’ve turned something that’s really dark into something that empowers me, makes me stronger.”;

Here we take a closer look at the leading women in Louis' life…

Beauty brand owner Lottie became a mum for the second time in January, calling her son Lucky, two, and three-month-old daughter Flossie the “greatest blessings in life”;.

Lottie has also heaped praise on her fiance Lewis Burton, who she describes as her “safe place and best friend”;, after the pair met in 2020.

Louis stepped up to be a parental figure

It was Louis who had to call Lottie to tell her the devastating news that their sister Félicité had died, while Lottie was holidaying in Bali.

“I was sitting on my hotel balcony when Louis called to say Fizz had died,”; she recalled.

“I just remember screaming. Over and over again, I kept screaming: ‘No, my baby sister, no.' The pain was all-consuming.”;

The pair had attempted to stage interventions and even tried placing their sister in rehab, but were left totally devastated by her death.

A source said: “Lottie and Louis saw themselves as parental figures for their younger siblings after their mum died, and they tried so hard to help Fizz.

“They inevitably turned to each other for support in the wake of her death.”

Lottie has praised the siblings’ connection for helping each other through the impossible time.

‘Aware of how short life can be'

“As a family, we all have an awareness of how short life can be, which makes us love so much harder,”; she wrote in her best-selling book Lucky Girl, last year.

“That’s the positive that comes out of all this heartbreak. We were always close, but it's made us more protective of each other and so loving.”;

Lottie, who now has a successful career in the beauty industry, has helped lobby Parliament for better access to bereavement counselling.

She shared a further insight into the family's bond as she celebrated Phoebe and Daisy’s 21st birthdays with a social media post.

“When we lost our beautiful mum all those years ago, I made a promise to you and to her that I'd try my best to be a mother figure to you, and I really hope you feel that I have,” Lottie wrote.

She went on to say she was “so proud”; of the “amazing women”; her sisters had grown into.

“We've got a lifetime of memories to come, and I can't wait to be by your sides forever.”;

The day I spent with Lottie Tomlinson

By Josie Griffiths, Deputy Digital Fabulous Editor

When I spent the day with Lottie Tomlinson back in 2018, she was just days on from celebrating her 20th birthday.

Fabulous had been invited behind the doors of Lou Teasdale’s Hackney townhouse, in east London, where Lottie was staying before moving into the three-bed flat she’d just bought down the road.

And one topic was strictly off limits for the interview, her older brother Louis.

At that point, the One Direction split was still a recent memory (having happened two years earlier) and Lottie was keen to forge her own path as an influencer and business woman – something she admittedly has done successfully in the years that followed.

At one point I mentioned the signed One Direction record hanging on the wall, and was met with what can only be described as a grimace. I didn’t try to go there again.

When we met, Lottie was in the early days of dating Made In Chelsea’s Sam Prince (her boyfriend of a year, also the ex of model Lottie Moss) but insisted she was “single and enjoying herself”;.

I didn’t press the issue, even though I’d overheard her chatting to Lou about whether she was seeing Sam that night only minutes before.

Her relationship with Lou was clearly an incredibly strong one, with Lottie describing her as “as close as family”;.

We met around 18 months after the tragic loss of their mum Joannah Deakin, and Lou had offered Lottie a place to stay in London, as her family were “all up north”;.

She’d clearly taken her under her wing. It was Lou (then One Direction’s hair stylist) who’d given Lottie her big break as her assistant on 1D’s On The Road Again tour aged just 15.

But the pair were keen to make it clear this wasn’t a substitute motherly relationship, with Lottie instead insisting “she’s my best friend”;.

Even at such a young age, Lottie was a bright young woman, media savvy and clear from day dot on what she would and wouldn’t say.

Of her trolls, she told me: “You get quite a lot of judgement on stuff you do and wear. You can get some hate on Instagram and stuff like that.

“It doesn’t bother me at all now. When I was younger it did. But I completely ignore it now.

“And I think you sometimes need it. I don’t always realise I was acting a certain way, and sometimes I look back and I think ‘they were right'.”;

She may sound wise beyond her 20 years, but Lottie was just 10 when her brother became famous, and I would argue it wasn’t just Louis who was forced to grow up fast.

Lottie is the second oldest of the Tomlinson siblings, and had already worked with Selena Gomez, Nails Inc, Revolve and launched her own brand Tanologist by the time we met.

Of her new London property, which likely cost around half a million, she said: “I wanted somewhere with a couple of spare rooms so that all my siblings can come down because I’ve got so many.

“I didn’t actually properly move in (to Lou’s) so a lot of my stuff’s in storage.

“I did bring a few special items, like a few photos of my family, my siblings, just so I could have a look at them if I missed them.”

It’s an interesting dichotomy – family was right at the centre of her world, and yet Lottie was equally determined not to get stuck in her brother’s shadow.

But looking back, I’d say she’s managed to navigate the bridge between the two pretty well.

Daisy and Phoebe have actually been in the spotlight longer than their brother, appearing as infants in Baby Wars in 2005, as well as Fat Friends, and Shameless.

Daisy has been dating Charlton Athletic footballer Ryan Viggars since August 2022, and recently said: “In about five years, I’ll have a baby.”;

She and Phoebe are regularly seen together on front rows at fashion week shows and have partnered with various brands, including Boux Avenue, after signing with Elite model management in 2021.

Both Louis and Lottie have been pillars of support for the twins' careers.

‘Substitute motherly figure'

“Lottie became a substitute motherly figure as well, and she is also a brilliant role model for the twins as an influencer and brand owner,” the source said.

The pair have also been filming pilots for a reality series that ITV has shown interest in.

The source added: “There has been talk of them starring in their own reality series, and whatever decisions are made, you can be sure Louis will be 100% in support.”;

It was Daisy who praised her “amazing”; big brother for helping her feel like the “luckiest girl in the world”; as she celebrated her birthday at the lavish party at Bleaklow Farm in Derbyshire.

Phoebe, who has been dating footballer Jack Varley since 2022, welcomed their one-year-old daughter Olive in January 2024.

While Phoebe has spoken openly about her heartache at not having her midwife mum around to help her raise her daughter, she had Daisy in the room while she gave birth.

Phoebe has previously laughed: “She watched everything, I think she’s traumatised!”;

Louis has also been on hand to share his experience as a father for Phoebe.

The source continues: “He’s also a brilliant uncle to Olive, Lucky, and Flossie and will no doubt throw his support behind them as they grow up and embark on their own careers too.”;

‘There are hard days'

Phoebe has also turned to Louis for life advice as well as industry guidance and says her motto is: “It’s not a bad life, it’s just a bad day.”;

“It’s one that my brother shared with me a few years ago and it helps me loads when I’m feeling low,” she explained.

She says of the family’s most difficult times: “I’ve got a big family and we leant on each other.

“There are hard days – but my siblings are always on the end of the phone.”;