After One Direction confirmed that they will be taking a year-long hiatus to focus on their individual projects, a new report claims that one of the members is being eyed to serve as a mentor on the U.K.'s "The X Factor."
According to The Sun, Simon Cowell is planning to have Louis Tomlinson on the show as one of the mentors. The music mogul is said to be turning to the boy band member to help save the show's ratings after "Strictly Come Dancing" got three million more viewers than the ITV reality show. Tomlinson, 23, will allegedly help Cowell choose the contestants who will make it to the live shows. The newspaper reports that Tomlinson will be replacing longtime mentor Sinitta at the Judges' Houses stage.
Sinitta has previously spoken to the Daily Mail about the 23-year-old boy band member joining the show, saying that Tomlinson would be a good fit.
"He spent a lot of time with us last year, mentoring the talent and watching rehearsals," said Sinitta to the website.
A source told The Sun that Cowell is enlisting Tomlinson's help to ensure the series' success, saying, "One Direction has always been big ratings winners and Louis is the most outspoken of the band. He won't be afraid to tell people if they're terrible, and Simon loves that."
Tomlinson has a history with the show as he was discovered on "The X Factor" when he auditioned back in 2010 as a solo candidate. That year, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Liam Payne also tried their luck on the show, and the five of them were put together by Cowell to form a five-piece band after all of them failed to move on to the boys' category at the Judges Houses stage. The group finished in third place during the season and gained worldwide fame shortly after.
Representatives for "The X Factor" have yet to confirm Tomlinson's involvement in the show.
