One Direction Romance: Leona Lewis Says Liam Payne Is 'Sweet'

Leona Lewis has finally responded to the rumours that she's dating Liam Payne from One Direction. And it's not quite what we expected…

The X Factor winner, who confirmed she has recently split from her dancer boyfriend Dennis Jauch, told The Mirror: "He is a really sweet, lovely guy. I’m a fan of One Direction. We have been friends for a year-and-a-half."

Oh… er…  "just friends"?

Not only is Leona, 27, recently single, but Liam has just split up from his girlfriend Danielle Peazer, too.

Leona might not have denied the dating rumours - but she does insist she hates talking about her personal life. She said: "I’ve learned from having relationships before that have been speculated about, it’s best not to talk about it. I think that’s important. Usually the other person doesn’t get a say so it’s really one-sided and unfair."

She added: "I love being in love. You have someone to come home to. You don’t feel lonely because someone’s always there, especially when you’re travelling and need a bit of normality."

And 19-year-old Liam once said in an interview that Leona is "beautiful". We reckon it's definitely ON between these two lovebirds. Oh, imagine… the first X Factor wedding! RM  

• Leona Lewis
• Liam Payne