Louis Tomlinson was 'mortified' after One Direction’s split

If there's one thing Louis Tomlinson is certain of, it's that he wasn't prepared for One Direction's split.

In fact, the 31-year-old recently shared that he was "mortified" after the boy band -- which also included Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne --broke up in 2016 after six years together.

"I was absolutely gutted," he told The Times UK in an interview published Feb. 24. "I was a bit bitter, I suppose because it just felt like another loss to me. But I've a better understanding of things now, and there's not as much anger. It is what it is."

And at the beginning of the split, the English singer did harbor some feeling of jealously toward his former bandmate Harry.

"Well, it's not a surprise is it?" Louis told the outlet of the As It Was singer's success. "We were always aware that Harry fit that mold, and it's been an amazing thing to watch. Envy? At the start maybe, when I was trying to find my feet, but it's never healthy to cross-reference your own success with others is it?"

These days I'm learning to elevate myself in those moments when I have to," he added, "I didn't know how to do that before, but now? Now I know I f--king can."