One Direction: Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction Read Online Free PDF Page B

each other it worked, and we’ve ended up being really close friends.
     
    We had such a laugh that week. We were all staying in a bungalow and we’d spend the days in the swimming pool or watching TV. We told ourselves that we were rehearsing, but we didn’t really know what we were doing. We’d sit around and sing what we thought were harmonies and try out different songs, but really that week was more about us getting used to each other than anything else.

    We’ve all changed so much since those days at Harry’s house. We’re growing up around each other in a way, and because I spend so much time with Niall I do an Irish accent these days without even noticing!
     
    Going out to Judges’ Houses in Spain was another big learning curve for us, because we got to know each other even better. We went out there to do our best and work as hard as we could to get through. Looking back, that week went so quickly and so much happened that I can barely remember everything we did, but I remember coming back feeling incredible.
     
    We all went back home briefly before moving into the contestants’ house. Then it was time to go again, and I remember my dad looking at me and saying, “Whatever you do, don’t come back before Christmas.” He wanted us to go all the way.
     
    It was strange to be packing up and leaving home, knowing I could potentially be away for a few months or more. Also, a lot of the other contestants we were going to be sharing a house with were still strangers to us, which meant I was going to be working and living in very close quarters with people I didn’t know.
     
    Even sharing a room with the other guys was a bit of a shock. The room was tiny, and we spent all day together too. We all found little ways to have some time to ourselves, and that was very important. I used to get in and go straight to bed, but the other guys used to stay up a lot later, so I was always telling them off for waking me up. But I’ve honestly never met four harder-working guys. There was nothing we refused to do. Every time we were asked to do filming or interviews or anything we never said no, because we were determined.
     
    It was good fun sharing the house with other people but, as I said, they were strangers, so it was a case of getting to know loads of new people. Apart from the other guys I got on best with Rebecca and Matt, and I still get on really well with them now.

    For me, needless to say, the highlight of being on The X Factor was meeting Robbie Williams. He’s one of the big reasons that I’m doing this now, so even just having my picture taken with him was amazing. I thanked him and told him that if it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be in the show, and he seemed chuffed by that and was really humble about it. He admitted that he never knows what to say when people tell him they like him, because he’s just doing his thing, but it meant a lot to him to hear it. He gave us great advice about staying down to earth, and he made so much sense.
     
    Meeting Michael Bublé was brilliant as well. He was such a nice guy and as easy to talk to as anyone else you’d meet. It was such a buzz that he knew who we were as well. Imagine knowing Michael Bublé had watched you perform on the show!
     
    Getting down to the final three in the show was amazing, but of course we were massively disappointed when we didn’t win. We were completely happy with our performance of “Torn” though, so at least we’d done all we could.
     
    We were standing on stage with Matt and Rebecca, and they called Matt’s name out first. Then they called Rebecca’s and we were so deflated. We hadn’t experienced that situation before, because our name had always been called out on the right side when the votes came in. When I watched it back on TV it seemed like Dermot waited ages to read out Rebecca’s name, but when I was there it felt like no time at all.
     
    As soon as Dermot reads out Rebecca’s name you can see all