| 1 | A member of British-Irish pop phenomenon One Direction on Monday denied press reports the band was to split, saying instead the group is to take a "break" in 2016. |
| 2 | "Ok so lots of rumours going round. We are not splitting up, but we will be taking a well earned break at some point next year," Niall Horan, 21, a member of the four-piece boyband wrote to his 23 million followers on Twitter. |
| 3 | "Don't worry though, we still have lots we want to achieve!" |
| 4 | Ok so Lots of rumours going round. |
| 5 | The comments followed a report in British newspaper The Sun citing a "1D source" that the band was to separate for at least a year, which left the band's enormous global teenage following devastated. |
| 6 | "The guys have been together for five years, which is an incredible run for any boyband," said The Sun's source. |
| 7 | "They fully deserve to have at least a year to work on their own projects. There is absolutely no bad blood between them and they are all 100 percent behind the decision. |
| 8 | "It is definitely not a split and they fully intend to get back together at some time in the future." |
| 9 | A spokesman for the band had declined to comment on the report. |
| 10 | But fans took to social media to express their shock, with Twitter user Lexie Noel posting that "I've never cried harder". |
| 11 | Josie @josiemarchant1 added: "I refuse to believe one direction are splitting up so do not try and convince me". |
| 12 | I refuse to believe one direction are splitting up so do not try and convince me???????? |
| 13 | - josie? |
| 14 | Battle-hardened fans offered advice to those going through their first boyband split. |
| 15 | "It's ok One Direction fans, I went through this with Take That & Boyzone," wrote Twitter user @LisforLia. |
| 16 | "You may feel like your heart is in a blender, but you can do this." |
| 17 | It's ok One Direction fans, I went through this with Take That & Boyzone. |
| 18 | The band is due to release its fifth album before Christmas, and fulfil promotional commitments by the end of February, the report said. |
| 19 | There is no tour scheduled for the new album. |
| 20 | One Direction's last scheduled concerts are at the Sheffield Arena in northern England on October 29, 30, 31. |
| 21 | They are currently touring North America and are due to perform in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Tuesday. |
| 22 | Put together for a British television singing contest in 2010, Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson swiftly developed a giant, fiercely loyal following of young girls worldwide. |
| 23 | The chart-toppers have sold more than 50 million records around the globe.Malik quit the band in March, shortly after being signed off with stress. |
| 24 | "I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight," he said at the time. |
| 25 | The Sunday Times newspaper's Rich List 2015 reckoned the band members were worth 25 million each. |
| 26 | Are One Direction about to break up? |